One Look From You
by redambition
Summary: Rachel wasn't interesting, but he was. He was interesting, exciting, and handsome. He was talented, funny, and wrong for her in all of the right ways.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee. **_

_**Welcome to my new multi-chapter fic! This is going to be a lot different from any of my other stories; much more emotional and kind of angsty. But stick with me; if you know my stories you know I love a happy ending!  
**_

Rachel took a step back, taking in all the details of her new dorm room. It was a single, so it was fairly small, but its not like she needed a ton of space anyway. Her bedspread hung down just far enough, hiding the bureau underneath her ridiculously tall bed. It was a good thing the foot of the bed was designed like a ladder, she would definitely be needing that. Her posters covered the walls, _Wicked _hanging right above the head of her bed. Her laptop and printer sat perfectly on the desk against the wall near her door.

She had to admit, she wasn't too excited about attending the University of Ohio when her fathers suggested it, but as soon as she stepped on the campus she was sold. Maybe it was the campus, or the friendly woman who had given her the tour of the campus and dorms. Then again, maybe it was just the idea of starting over, beginning her life as an adult in a new place. The University wasn't hours away from home, it was actually close enough for her to drive down on the weekends, but it was far enough.

For the first time in her life, she was free. No curfew, no one watching her every move and making sure that she and Sam had a safe amount of distance between them on the couch on date nights, or checking that her bedroom door was closed when he was inside. She felt silly, starting college as a virgin, but in a way it really added to the experience for her. She was so inexperienced, so new to the outside world and all it had to offer it felt like, but she intended for all of that to change, and soon.

Not that she wasn't going to focus on her studies, she had every intention of throwing herself into her courses and excelling. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to Major in yet, but she had plenty of time to figure that out, for now she was just going to focus on enjoying the journey to finding herself. She wanted to branch out, not put her social life on hold like she had in high school. She could find a study group, join a sorority of some sort, or find some kind of Extra-curricular to partake in.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Rachel bounced forward, opening her door to reveal Sam, carrying in her last box of clothes from his car. She was so thankful for him, driving her here and helping her move all of her stuff into her new room. He had always been so good to her, she loved him. Or she thought she loved him anyway, he was all she knew. They started dating Junior year, and had maintained a comfortable relationship ever since. "This is it" he said, leaning down to peck her on the lips, and place the box down next to her drawer.

"So what do you think?" she asked, waving an arm around her room.

"I think it looks just like you" he grinned, running his fingers over her desk then walking forward and hopping up to stretch out on her sheets.

"Up!" she cried, rushing forward to swat him off of her bed before she caught herself. "Sorry, I forgot we were alone" she mumbled, allowing him to slide down and pull her flush against him.

"It's okay, gonna take some getting used to huh?"

"Definitely."

"Well, maybe we should start practicing" he smiled, pulling her forward to kiss again. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his chest as his lips moved over hers, trying to coax a response out of her. Rachel leaned into the kiss, trying to let herself get wrapped up in the kiss, but she was just too distracted. She felt like the outside was calling out to her, and she was dying to start the adventure.

"Or maybe we can wait a little longer to practice" she said purposefully, unlocking herself from his hold. "Come on, let's go out, take a look around the campus and see what's going on" she urged, snatching up her keys and hanging the lanyard around her neck.

"Fine" he groaned, taking her outstretched hand and letting her lead him out of the room.

Rachel squealed, tugging him along behind her as she skipped forward, a beaming grin on her face.

* * *

They walked her class route, letting her familiarize herself with it so that she wouldn't get lost the next day, and became acquainted with the bookstore and all of the places to eat on campus before they made their way to the University Center. Tables crowded the building everywhere Rachel looked, handing out flyers for their organizations and clubs for the different majors. Rachel took every one that she passed, even the skeet shooting club, and the 'Bible Brother/Sisterhood'. Finally, when they reached the opposite end of the building, she noticed a set of double doors, a large, colorful banner reading 'The Playground' hanging above the doors. Unable to look away from the room, her feet led her toward it.

Rachel opened the doors, the lyrics to 'Evacuate the Dance Floor' attacking her ears as she stepped into the lifeless room. There were pool tables everywhere, small tables along the walls with televisions stationed at them. Foosball tables, and air hockey tables littered the floors, and she could see ping pong tables towards the back stationed in front of very large circular windows. There were trees outside of the windows, holding random people in hammocks, adding to the carefree air of the room.

Rachel continued her trek through the large room, eying the mini bowling arcade of about eight lanes before she found the source. There, between the lanes and the area housing the pool tables was a small room housing a few large televisions and multiple gaming systems. A small, curly haired man stood before an Xbox Kinect, dancing enthusiastically to the music, not noticing his new audience. Rachel watched him, hiding her laugh behind her hand as she watched the man move, he was actually pretty good.

Finally the song came to an end, the man receiving very high points as he jumped into the air, pumping his fist in victory. "Congratulations" Rachel chirped, interrupting the man's victory dance.

"Ahh!" he cried, nearly backing himself into the system. "Holy crap, I didn't see you guys there. Can I help you?"

"You could give me some lessons, you were on fire man" Sam praised, walking towards the man and his system. "Can anybody play?"

"Sure, I was finishing up anyway" the man answered, going back to the main screen, and moving to let Sam take his place. "Since classes haven't started yet, today is free play, but it's not always free."

"Oh...Are the games very expensive" Rachel asked.

"Nah, it's not that bad. Let me get you a brochure" the man said, giving her a kind smile as he made his way out of the small room. Rachel followed the man as Sam started up 'Crank that Soulja boy'.

Rachel followed the man out and into the large room, walking towards the middle where a tiny closed space held a cash register, and a stack of pamphlets. "I'm Will by the way, Will Schuester. I'm the manager here."

"Nice to meet you, Rachel Berry."

"Here you go Rachel Berry" he said, handing her the small booklet. "We have free play once a month on Friday nights, most students choose those nights to show up, but we're open every day."

Rachel looked up, studying the room again. She had never been interested in arcades, or this kind of thing, but there was just something about this place drawing her in. "Is it always this crowded?" she joked, looking around at the empty room.

"Oh yeah, we really have our hands full" he laughed, stepping into the small bay area to pull out a rack of balls and a fancy looking cue stick before making his way towards a table. Rachel looked back in the direction Sam was in, wondering if she should go keep him company, but quickly changed her mind when she was interrupted by a loud smacking sound. She looked back to find the tables spread all over the table, Will leaned over the edge with his stick in hand.

"It's actually a good thing though" he said, walking around the table to line up his next shot. "Means we have plenty of time to shoot around and practice uninterrupted." Rachel watched as the white ball shot into the blue one he'd aimed at, the blue ball soaring straight into the pocket at the end of the table.

"You're really good at that."

"I should be, this is pretty much all I do" he said, walking around the table yet again as Rachel's eyes stayed glued to his game. "I'm actually the new Billiards coach for the University."

"Really? That's neat, but what happened to the old one?" she asked, watching wide eyed as the green ball bounced off of a rail then into the pocket across from it.

"There wasn't one. This is actually a pretty big thing, there hasn't been a team here in twenty years" he announced proudly.

"That's pretty incredible" she said in awe. "How did you get it started?"

"Well, I didn't really. For the past two years I've been training my two assistant managers, Finn and Mike, and they've gotten so good. They worked so hard, and talent like that, it's a shame to see it go to waste, you know? So we started talking to my boss, trying to get the funds, and support for the whole thing. As long as we have six members by the first two weeks of school, the teams a go."

"How many members do you have so far?"

"Well, four" he murmured lowly, chalking his stick up for his next shot. "But we're sending out emails, and have a sign up sheet right on the window of the bay, so hopefully we'll snag some people soon."

Rachel mulled over his words in her head as she stepped forward to approach the table. She had been looking for something to be a part of, this seemed like a perfect opportunity. She was definitely intrigued with the game, the prospect of being apart of something groundbreaking was exciting, and meeting new people was definitely a plus. "So, do you give lessons? To people who haven't played before, but might want to join the team?"

"Absolutely, we...wait, do you want to join?" he asked, standing up from his leaned over position to look at her.

"Well, I have no experience whatsoever, but it looks fun. I'd like to give it a try, if you'll have me."

"That would be amazing" he cried, laying his stick on the table to walk into the bay again. "Let me just get you some paperwork, the fee is thirty dollars, but once you pay that, you have unlimited pool priviliges" he explained, rifling through papers.

"Great, because I'm probably going to need a lot of practice. Is there any way that you can get private coaching? I don't want people to see me until I have at least the basic concept of the game down. "

"That's no problem. Between Finn, Mike, and myself you'll be taken care of. We'll hold group practices twice a week once we get everything in order, but until then you can get in some one-on-one training. Finn is here the most often when I'm not so he can definitely help, he's our best player" the man said proudly, puffing out his chest.

"That sounds perfect" she smiled, taking the paper from his hand.

"What about your friend in there?" he asked, pointing towards the direction Sam was in, 'I know you want me' now spilling through the doors.

"Oh, that's my boyfriend, Sam. What about him?"

"Do you think he'd like to join the team too? That would push us to six."

"He's not actually a student here" she answered.

"Ah, never mind then. We'll find our sixth somewhere, I'm sure of it" he stated surely, walking back to the table to finish his game. "There should be more people here tomorrow since it's the first day of classes and you can meet some of your teammates."

"Ooh great" she squealed, resisting the impulse to clap her hands excitedly.

"Until then, want to get started?" he asked, nodding towards the pool cues along the wall.

"Sure" she beamed, standing to grab one of them down. She had a really really good feeling about this.

**_Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!_**

**_Update coming soon! Reviews welcomed!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee.**_

"_**I remember when my heart caught the fever; you were standing all alone in the summer heat. I was with my boyfriend, my new boyfriend; he was as sweet as he could be. But one look at you, and I was through. My heart switched up on me."**_

Rachel's first day of classes was a success. All of her professors, apart from her elderly History teacher who spent the majority of the class talking about South Park, seemed satisfactory. She already knew that her Intro to Acting class was going to be her favorite though. The instructor, Ms. Holiday was by far the coolest teacher she had ever encountered, and it really showed in the way she ran her class. Everything was going to be hands on, and their final exam was going to be a recital constructed of four monologues under a unified theme, all of their choosing. It seemed so professional, but so open, and really lit a fire under her.

She came back to her room after her final class, touching up her makeup and making sure she was presentable before she made her way to 'The Playground' to practice again. Yesterday had been a really good start. Will was patient with her, explaining the rules, and showing her the proper shooting technique. Sure, she had only managed to get the ball in about four times without help, but Will said that she had good potential.

Satisfied with her appearance, Rachel hung her keys around her neck and started to make her way out of the room. She flung the door open, knocking down a pretty blonde girl standing right outside it, a Styrofoam plate flying out of her hands and onto the floor.

"Oh my God!" she cried, rushing forward to help the girl up. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea you were there!"

"Don't worry about it" the girl said, taking Rachel's hand. "I'm Brittany."

"Rachel" she answered, leaning down to pick up the girls' plate and sweep the fallen contents back in with a nearby napkin that also dropped. "So is there anything I can help you with Brittany?" she asked, still wondering why the girl had been at her door.

"I just wanted to meet my suitemate!" she explained, walking next door and unlocking it to prove her point. "It's important to know the person you're sharing a bathroom with, Santana told me to scope you out and make sure you weren't weird or nasty" she finished, eying Rachel critically before crossing through the bathroom and making her way in to Rachel's bedroom to inspect. "Nice, I don't think we'll have a problem" the girl smiled. "You look like a neat freak. Santana will love to meet you; she says freaks are the best."

"Um, thank you?" Rachel said, not quite sure how to feel about this situation. "Who exactly is Santana?"

"My girlfriend."

"Ah. I'm sorry about your dinner" Rachel said, holding up the Styrofoam plate.

"It's alright; they were just finger foods from our first dance team meeting. Did you know finger foods aren't actually in the shape of fingers?" she asked, looking to Rachel intently as she shared this vital information with her.

Rachel smiled, knowing already that she was going to love her kooky neighbor. "You don't say?"

"I said the same thing" she nodded. "I'll just go to the cafeteria and eat, have you been yet?"

"No, we can go together if you want?" Rachel offered. "It's in the U.C so as soon as we're done I can head to practice."

"Perfect!" Brittany cheered, walking back through the bathroom into her own room and returning with a plastic pack of silverware.

"You take your own?"

"Of course, do you want some?" she asked, motioning for Rachel to follow her back into her room.

Rachel nodded, surprised that the girl had such a good idea. It really wasn't a good idea to trust utensils that other people put in their mouths, especially on a college campus. "Yes please."

Rachel walked into the room, noticing the yoga mat and large stereo system in the corner, but the most prominent thing about the room was the bed, sitting at least a good foot away from the wall on both sides.

"Brit, why is your bed so far away from the walls?" Rachel asked, taking a step closer to it as Brittany re-opened her new pack of silverware to bag up for her.

"I meant to warn you, you should do the same thing with yours. It's safer cause, you know, spiders."

"I'm sorry?"

"If your bed is right up against the wall, and a spider gets in through your window or something it can crawl right in with you" she shivered. "But if it's not, the spider has no bridge between it and your bed, so you're safe. The same thing goes for mice and lizards and stuff."

Rachel stared, openmouthed at the girl as she tried to process her logic. "Brittany, you do realize that's not the case right? A spider can jump right off the wall onto your bed, or it could-"

"Oh no, that's only jumping spiders" she stated, handing Rachel the packaged silverware. "Are you ready?"

"Sure" Rachel said, shaking her head with a small smile, as Brittany walked away, leaving her keys sitting on her nightstand. "Wait, don't you need your keys?"

"Oh no, Lord Tubbington will let me in when I get back."

"Who?"

Brittany pointed to beneath her bed, and Rachel bent down to lift the blanket and peek underneath. There, nestled into a large cat bed, was a very large cat surrounded with toys, food bowls, and a few random magazines. "He's not actually supposed to be here, so you can't tell anyone. But I just couldn't leave him at home, he would have never forgiven me" she whispered.

Rachel laughed out loud, holding back a snort as she looked at her new friend. "I completely understand" she said, picking up the keys. "But you should probably take these with you just in case. He might be asleep or something when you come in, you wouldn't want to bother him."

"You know, I hadn't thought of that" Brittany said, taking the keys from Rachel's hand and linking arms with her as they left.

* * *

"Yes!" Rachel cried, pumping her cue stick in the air after her fourth consecutive time getting the ball in the side pocket. It was a basic shot, but she was definitely making progress. Yesterday Will pretty much had to sit the ball directly in the pocket for her to get it in, but now she was making it from the center point of the table.

"That was really good Rachel" Will praised, pounding her fist with his as he placed another ball down in the same spot for her to shoot. "Try it again, I want you to master this" he instructed, leaving her and heading to the next table to check on the others.

A loud wail caught Rachel's attention, and she turned to the source, the pretty Asian girl at the table to her left. She had quickly learned that the girls' name was Tina, and the lithe Asian man by her side was the assistant manager Mike. They were both very nice to Rachel when she came in, welcoming her to the team. It turned out that Tina was new to the game as well, having only started playing over the summer at the urging of Mike.

It made her feel a little better, seeing Tina struggling with her stroke and speed, knowing that she wasn't alone in the learning process. She paused, watching him lean over the table to help her, helping her line up her shot and directing her on what to do when she had the right angle. When Tina would miss, he would squeeze her elbow, offering encouraging words to get her to try again. He seemed like a really good teacher, it was obvious that he'd been trained by Will. It made her wonder what Finn would be like when he finally showed up.

She leaned over, lining up the cue ball directly in front of the six, about to shoot when she felt hands on her waist. She sat up shocked, turning to find Sam behind her. "Hey. I didn't think you were coming over until I got done practicing. What happened to you and Joe's 'cousin bonding time'?"

"I wanted to see you" he grinned as she stared at him suspiciously. "And that dance game is pretty addictive, think it's available again?" he asked, making her laugh as she punched his chest.

"Sam! Don't you want to see how good I've gotten?" she asked giddily, clutching her cue.

"Fine, impress me with your skills young grasshopper" he said in a cheesy accent, kissing her cheek as he stepped back to watch her.

"Prepare to be impressed" she said, resuming her place and bending over the table to take her shot. She lined up the ball, closed one eye and pushed forward, connecting with the six and sending it straight into the rail. "Crap, let me try that again." She reached for the uncooperative six ball; replacing it and lining up again.

She knocked it in gracefully, the cue ball magically not moving from its starting point. She'd never seen it do that before, at least not when she was shooting.

"Oh my God, did you see that?!" she cried, turning to find him clapping, releasing a whistle of praise.

Encouraged, Rachel grabbed another ball to shoot, sinking it in as well as the next five in a row. She beamed, mentally patting herself on the shoulder as Sam watched. Suddenly he stood, wrapping his arms around her from behind before she could make the next shot.

"My baby, the pool shark" he said, leaning down close to her ear as he started to chant the Jaws theme song. Rachel giggled, squirming in his grasp when they were interrupted by a new voice.

"I wouldn't say all that, but good start."

Rachel turned in Sam's arms, her easy laughter dying the instant she laid eyes on the most beautiful guy she had ever seen. His deep whiskey colored eyes twinkling with humor as he watched Sam still humming the theme in her ear. She blinked, trying to catch her breath as she memorized every detail of him, the dark messy hair, the spray of freckles on his cheeks, the striking grin pulling up half of his face. She was completely entranced by this stranger, carrying a small black bag on his shoulder.

"She's getting there" Sam finally said, breaking the silence as he held out his hand to Finn. Without realizing it, she took a step forward, slightly distancing herself from Sam.

"Oh good, you're here!" Will called, appearing next to her as he approached the stranger, or well, stranger to her unfortunately. "I want you to meet Rachel, our newest member" he announced, placing a hand on her shoulder she tried to catch her breath. He undid his bag, pulling out and assembling a fancy looking black pool cue as she watched. "Rachel, this is our team captain, Finn."

_**Thank you for reading, hope that you enjoyed!**_

_**Update coming soon! Review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee, or any of the quotes/lyrics included in this story.**_

"_**After that, he was in my dreams nearly every night, but always on the periphery, never within reach." **_

_**-Stephenie Meyer**_

Rachel continued to stare, her eyes never wavering from Finn, as she now knew him. He put together his cue, pulling a piece of chalk from his bag to apply to the tip before he finally met her gaze.

"What's up Rachel?"

"Umm, I...pool" she stuttered, heavily relying on her own stick to hold her up.

"Want a partner?"

"Sure" she cried a little too loudly, quickly spinning around to readjust the balls but running smack into Sam's chest.

"Whoa babe, where's the fire?" he laughed, for the first time making her cringe at his pet name for her.

"I, I just really want to hurry along with my practicing so that I can sooner be an asset to the team. Weren't you going to play in the other room?" she asked as Finn started to rack up the balls at the end of the table.

"Oh yeah, did you ask the-"

"It should be open, you just go have them give you the key. You can use my student card to pay if you don't have any money" she scrambled, gently pushing him away towards the gaming room. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart as she turned back towards her new practice partner, the loud smack of the balls being broken surprising her. "Ah!"

"You're a jumpy little thing aren't you" he commented coolly, smirking at her.

"I just haven't really gotten used to that part yet" she said, thinking back to the last time she tried to break the balls herself and only the corner balls moved. "Breaking is still one of my obstacles."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that as long as you're playing with me."

Rachel blushed at his words, praising him for his chivalry in her mind as he glanced to her for her reaction. "Thank you."

"Have you played any actual games yet, or just practiced the shots?" he asked, leaning over and effortlessly knocking in the three ball.

"Just shots so far."

"Well today Rachel, we're going to play actual games. In pool, typically the person who wins breaks up the balls for the next match. So don't worry, you won't be breaking anytime soon" he explained cockily, knocking the one ball into a rail and sending it flying into the corner pocket. "I'm shooting at the solid balls, so you have the solids. First one to get them all off, and knock in the eight ball wins."

Rachel gasped a little at his attitude, not at all having expected that. "Excuse me, but you know that I'm new to the game. Don't you think you should give me some sort of handicap?"

"Nope, you'll never learn that way" he retorted, chalking his stick as he turned to her, daring her to argue. Which of course she did.

"That's not true at all! I've learned a sufficient amount already by just shooting the balls repetitively and having help from Will. I think you're just being a bully" she cried with exasperation, a little angry that he'd made four shots already and she hadn't even gotten on the table.

"It's called being a tough coach, no babying and all that. Think of it as like, being thrown into the pool when you're just learning how to swim."

"Fine" Rachel grumbled, only really giving in because he missed the six and she was dying to get on the table and show him what she had learned. She positioned herself and lined up her shot, trying to ignore the beautiful and frustrating man standing right behind her with a very good view of her derriere.

"Hot damn" he said appreciatively, causing Rachel to completely miss her shot as she stiffened and stood up. Angry, and ready to throw a tantrum over him objectifying her **and **making her miss, she turned to find Finn was no longer there.

She watched as he, Will, and another random young man a few tables away all moved towards the windows, watching a very busty bottle blonde walking down the sidewalk right outside. Rolling her eyes she turned to gauge Tina's reaction, who seemed indifferent even though Mike too was subtly sneaking glances. "You get used to it...they wonder why mostly just guys hang out in here" she sighed with a laugh, bending back over her game.

"Come here girl" Finn catcalled to the window, making the other men laugh. Almost as if she had heard him, the blonde turned toward the window. At the same exact time, all of the men turned to face different directions, showing no signs whatsoever that they had just been drooling seconds before.

Rachel burst out laughing, tears almost escaping as she watched the spectacle. Yes, it was a little degrading and disrespectful, but she had to admit that it was pretty funny. "I'm not even going to comment" she said, shaking her head as he approached her.

"Nothing wrong with appreciating the beautiful things in life."

"I suppose she was kind of pretty" Rachel said grudgingly.

"Oh. I don't know. I didn't really get past her neck."

Rachel rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head as she watched him bend over the table. "What are you doing? It's my turn!"

"Did you not miss?"

"Well, I did. But it wasn't my fault, you distracted me with your demeaning mating calls."

Finn paused mid stroke, smirking over at her. "That's not my fault Rachel, you should have had your head in the game. Keeping your focus is one of the most important parts of pool. Remember that midget" he said, resuming his place over the ball.

Narrowing her eyes at the injustice, and unpleasant nickname, she waited until right before he shot to release a loud, exaggerated sneeze. "ACHOOOOOO!" Finn jumped, accidentally hitting the eight ball and watching as it sank into the pocket.

"You little cheater" he said, a little taken aback at her outburst.

"Whatever do you mean? You can't blame me for your lack of focus Finn" she chirped, smiling sweetly at him. "Does that mean I win?"

Finn rubbed his jaw, staring at her with mock anger as he nodded. "I guess I'll give you that one" he conceded, picking the balls out of the pockets to re-rack. Suddenly Will coughed loudly, drawing Finn's attention as he looked up. He dropped the balls, again stepping towards the window as a red-haired woman dressed in a very curve-hugging sundress walked by.

"Her butt is huge" Rachel commented, the words slipping out of her mouth before she even realized it. The men turned towards her, a surprised laugh bubbling out of Finn's mouth. "Her breasts aren't at all proportionate though, odd."

"Does your boyfriend know you like to check out other women?" he asked suggestively, lifting an eyebrow at her.

"I was not _checking her out_ jerk" she said, shoving him playfully. "Am I not allowed to join the ridiculousness of 'appreciating beauty' and offer my heterosexual opinion?"

Making her heart skip a little at the twinkle in his eyes, he stared at her as he walked forward. "That had to be the coolest thing I've ever heard a girl say" he announced, a murmur of agreement rising from the other males in the room. "We might keep you around."

Rachel released an embarrassingly feminine giggle, so happy with the progress she'd made in her relationship with her team. Finn then resumed his place, racking the balls for their next game. "You ready?"

Staring at the rack, her nerves returned. There was no way she was going to be able to spread the balls out. "You know what, you're right. I cheated, you should break them up."

"Oh no you don't" he said, backing away from the table. "Let's see what you can do."

Rachel took a deep breath, leaning down over the table as she placed the cue ball down in front of her. She lined it up and pumped her cue a few times in preparation before she closed her eyes and shot forward. As expected, the balls only moved about a centimeter from one another, almost maintaining their perfect formation.

"Ugh!" she groaned, actively holding onto her stick tighter so that she wouldn't throw it across the room in her anger.

"Whoa, calm down midget" he teased, re-racking the balls before he walked around the table to her. "Let's try that again, and see if we can make this a little less embarrassing."

Finn stood behind her, placing a hand on her back signaling for her to lower herself over the table and line up. "You don't want the cue ball to be too far away from you" he instructed, pulling the cue ball closer to her. He took her hand, sending tingles of electricity through her at his touch, as he moved it to grip the edge of the table. Finn leaned over her, lifting her hand slightly to slide the cue between her pointer and middle fingers then placed his hand on top of hers. "Until you get more comfortable, and can control your power, it'll be easier for you to use the rail for leverage" he explained, placing his other hand behind hers on the back end of her stick.

"I'm gonna give it a few practice pumps to let you see what it should feel like" he warned, reaching forward to slide the cue ball over and out of the way. He replaced his hand on hers, and pulled back on the stick, then pushing forward as it slid between their joined fingers smoothly. Rachel bit back a moan from his proximity as he moved behind her. She fought to ignore his breath on her shoulder as he repeated the movement two times, before gripping the table and her hand a little tighter, using that to push the stick forward with force. "Got it?"

Rachel nodded dumbly as she turned, meeting his piercing gaze. "Uh-huh" She shook her head in an effort to clear it as he rose and walked over to the other side of the table.

"Go ahead."

Rachel took a deep breath, pulling the cue ball back over as she lined up. She gripped the table as tightly as she could, pumping a few times and shooting forward. A loud smack resounded through the room, and she opened her eyes to see the balls spread out a good amount on the table. "Oh my God, I did it!" she squealed, looking up to see her long-forgotten boyfriend standing next to her new favorite teacher, big grins on both their faces.

"Holy crap babe, look at you!"

"Thanks" she smiled weakly, ashamed of herself for being such a bad girlfriend. "Did you got done with your game?"

"Oh yeah, I killed it babe you should've seen me! I worked up a super appetite too, wanna go get something to eat and go back to your place?"

"Right now?...we're actually not done with our game."

"It's cool Rachel, we can finish some other time" Finn interjected, nodding in acknowledgment to Sam.

"How much do we owe for his games" she asked Finn, grabbing her I.D off of her key-chain to pay.

"Don't worry about it, I won't charge it" he dismissed, waving a hand at them. "You're with her, and she's on the team so you're good. Just don't tell my boss" he added, looking over his shoulder at Will playing with Blaine.

"Thanks dude, I really appreciate it" Sam said, bumping fists with him.

"No problem. If you guys decide to come back, we stay open until Midnight."

Rachel nodded, storing that information away as she hung her stick up on the wall. "I don't know if we'll be back tonight, but I hope that we get to practice again soon" she said, waving goodbye as she took Sam's outstretched hand and followed him out of the room.

Rachel pasted a smile on her face, gripping his hand tighter in her own as they made their way to his car. He walked her to the passenger side, opening the door for her before she sat down. Once she was seated, he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her surprised lips. She kept her tight smile in place when he pulled away, reaching up to fasten her seat-belt as she tried to convince herself that she felt something, anything at all for him. She just wasn't sure anymore.

**_Thank you for reading, I hope you are enjoying so far!_**

**_I think this is going to be my longest story! Reviews are love!_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the quotes/lyrics included in this story.**_

"_**He can't see the smile I'm faking and my hearts not breaking 'because I'm not feeling anything at all."**_

_**-The Way I Loved You**_

"Would you please stop staring at me like that" Rachel sighed, lifting a spoonful of rice to her mouth.

"We know something's up Rachel, Santana's psychic third Mexican eye is never wrong" Brittany pressed, feeding Lord Tubbington one of her shrimp as she continued to stare at Rachel suspiciously.

Ignoring the comment, Rachel took another bite of her food, releasing an exaggerated moan as she chewed. Brittany had talked her into ordering Japanese with her and Santana for dinner after classes. She had been apprehensive at first but as it turned out the local Japanese place was amazing. They should probably do this more often, minus the interrogation part.

"Well that, and we heard you fake moaning through the wall this past weekend" Santana interjected, a perfectly arched eyebrow raised. Rachel flushed under their scrutiny, shrinking a little in her seat.

"I was not-"

"I can tell a fake moan like I can tell a fake set of boobs" Santana cut in, narrowing her eyes again at Rachel. "Big lips not doing it for you?"

"You know what, I really need to be getting to practice" Rachel mumbled, eating the last bite of her steak and rice as she scrambled up to escape.

"Don't deflect, I've stayed quiet as long as I can. This is a new record for me." Rachel simply groaned in response, knowing that she was never getting out of this. "Going to see your_ friends_?"Santana asked, acidic sweetness in her tone.

"Yes, I am."

"You know you spend more time in there with those guys than you do with your boyfriend. Isn't that weird? I spend more time with Santana than I do with you or the dance team. Isn't that how it works?"

"That's exactly how it works Britts. Unless you don't want to spend time with your significant other, or you're, I don't know, cheating or something." Santana turned her gaze to Rachel with a smirk.

"I would never cheat on you" Brittany declared, leaning her head over on Santana's shoulder.

"Oh I know you wouldn't. But some people find it a lot easier than others, I don't judge though."

"I am not cheating on Sam" Rachel sighed, tossing her empty bowl into Brittany's trash can.

"Is it because he isn't good in bed? Is he small?"

"Santana, I'm not going to discuss-"

"Offer still stands, you could experiment with me and Britts sometime, see if it's more your cup of tea."

Rachel took a deep breath, ignoring Brittany's enthusiastic nod at the idea. Though it was flattering, she had no intentions of jumping ship. If she was going to experiment with someone, it would probably be a handsome, messy haired friend with deep whiskey eyes.

Not that she had thought about it.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm going to politely decline. Sam and I, we're fine. Just fine."

"Oh, oh okay. So um, who has been constantly messaging your phone the whole time we've been eating? You know, all the messages that you keep ignoring?" Santana asked, feigning ignorance.

"Were you looking at my phone?"

"Good friends snoop, it's what we do" she shrugged, never wavering. "Now you're ignoring Mangelina Jolie, why?"

"Rude. And I'm not ignoring him, I just don't really feel like talking."

"Just like you didn't feel like seeing him the last two weekends?"

"I did see him this weekend, as you so crudely pointed out earlier" Rachel groaned, walking into their communal bathroom to wash her hands.

"You saw him one night Rachel, one. Your boyfriend that you only get to see on the weekends, you had him over for one night."

"I was busy, he knows that I maintain a tight schedule. He didn't mind, and we can see each other this weekend, probably."

Brittany and Santana shared a knowing look as Rachel finally gave in.

"Okay, that's not completely true. Everything is just, I don't know it feels different now. It's not like "

"Would that have anything to do with the Frat boy teaching you how to use a stick?"

"I don't think so" she mumbled unconvincingly. "Sam and I were together for a long time, and I've shared so much of myself with him you know? He's good to me, and he's patient, and respectful, and I love him, I just-"

"You're not in love with him" Brittany finished, nodding her head. "I've been there. I thought I was in love with my last boyfriend, then when we broke up and I found Santana I realized that hadn't been love at all. This is."

Rachel could feel the love as she watched her two friends, smiling contently at one another and sharing a sweet kiss. In the two weeks that she'd known them, she'd learned that they were perfect for each other. Santana could be overbearing and had enough attitude for the three of them, but Brittany's sweet, open demeanor and innocent outlook balanced her out. They really did seem perfect for one another, especially in tender moments like this.

It made Rachel's heart clench to think that she never had moments like these with Sam. He didn't balance her out, he was more like the same person that she was in a way. There was no romance, or passion, in spite of their trying recently. He was a great guy, and she wished she felt more, but she couldn't deny that all of the romantic feelings had died, if she was being honest they had started to die a long time ago.

"I'm not usually one for the whole sappy, sharing feelings and caring crap, so I'm going to keep this short and to the point" Santana said, staring at Rachel as she broke away from her partner. "I don't think you're happy, and I think you know it, you're just comfortable and you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. You can't keep lying to yourself though, or you'll only ending hurting him anyway."

Rachel nodded silently, absorbing the words as they hit home for her. "Thanks San, I'll keep that in mind."

"Good, now if you'll excuse us, I wants to get my mack on" she sang, Rachel laughing as she exited the room, and made her way to The Playground.

* * *

She had fallen into an easy pattern her first two weeks of school; attending classes, having dinner with Brit and Santana then immediately going to shoot pool with Finn. She was actually getting pretty good. She could break the balls 'like a man' as he put it, and her shots were getting more consistent. As much as she hated to admit it at first, Finn's no babying technique was really paying off. She got super upset sometimes, but that's what would drive her to play better. He knew just how to push her and make her better.

Then again, he kind of just liked pissing her off.

"Finn!" she screeched, attempting to slam the butt of her cue stick down on his foot. "Give them back, now!"

"Nope" he smirked, laughing as he placed her keys on top of the light hanging over the pool table, completely out of her reach. Stupid giant. "You play dirty, you face the consequences. Or stare up at them, in your case."

"You're being a bad sport" she pouted, hopping up to reach her keys to no avail.

"I'm a bad sport? What do you call poking me in the ass with your stick when I bent over to shoot?"

"You have no proof."

"Oh, so I guess there's a homosexual ghost running around here" he said, rolling his eyes.

"You were being a jerk, I wasn't even going to get to shoot that game" she pouted. "And you should be more careful when you bend over, your butt was practically in my face."

"Weirdo, checking me out while I shoot. I should call security, my ass doesn't feel safe."

Rachel growled, rushing towards Finn with her stick as he ran away from her. She chased him around the pool tables, thankful that they were slow today or this would've been embarrassing. He continued to evade her, yelling "not my ass" as his long legs kept him a safe distance away from her. She barreled towards him, almost running into Puck as he entered the room.

"Whoa, what kind of party is this" he asked sarcastically, his eyes bouncing from Finn still covering his ass to Rachel mid-run with her stick in the air. "I didn't know you were into that sort of stuff Hudson, I'm sure the guys will love to hear it though."

Rachel laughed as she watched Finn's ears pink and his eyes narrow. She absolutely loved Puck.

He was one of Finn's old friends from high school, and it turned out that he and Finn were pledging the same Fraternity this semester. Puck really came through for them, joining the Pool Team at Finn's urging so that they would have their six members. It turned out that Puck was really good too, not quite on Finn or Mike's level, but he was a close third.

Puck was the first person that Rachel had seen manage to put Finn in his place, and she loved it. She had immediately liked him when they met, realizing that he was like Finn's twin, only even more crude. He had quickly accepted that Rachel was 'one of the boys' and treated her as so. Not many days went by that he didn't come to The Playground filling she and Finn in on some wild escapade that he'd taken part in recently. She had learned so much more than she ever wanted to simply by listening to him. It was cool, in a weird way.

"Finally, someone I can stand" Rachel sighed dramatically, grabbing Puck by the elbow. "Would you please fetch my keys for me?"

"Huh?"

Rachel tugged him towards the table, pointing up to where her keys lie. "Finn was being a jerk and sat them out of my reach. Will you get them down for me please?"

"Don't do it dude, she violated me and she cheated, she deserves it" Finn argued, coming to stand next to his friend. Rachel watched as they worked out some sort of complicated handshake before Puck finally looked back at her.

"Sorry Rach, bro's before hoes."

She gasped, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance. "I resent being referred to as a hoe, since I most certainly am not. And that's sort of a contradiction since you all have dubbed me as 'one of the guys'. That's like being a bro, isn't it?"

"Nope, not really, you don't have the equipment" Finn retorted, shrugging his shoulders. "You're one of the boys, but you're not a bro."

"I'm not sure I want to be a part of this mixed up system" she scowled.

"You love it" he grinned, poking her in the side as he moved past her to rack up the balls. "Wanna shoot a game? We could play cutthroat."

"I have no idea what that is, and I don't like you right now, so I'm going to sit out" Rachel sighed, attempting mental telepathy to bring down her keys as she leaned against the next table, behind Finn.

"Oh no, you sit on the other side" Finn instructed in mock seriousness, turning to her. "I don't trust you behind me anymore. She's a total perv dude" he added, looking to Puck. "Keep your ass covered."

"I'd like to keep _that _ass covered" Puck said, using the tone of voice alerting that there was a woman nearby for them to ogle. Used to it by now, she didn't even roll her eyes as both Finn and Puck stared at the pretty blonde girl walking down the sidewalk. "Did I tell you the nose-job story?"

"No shit, is that her?" Finn laughed, watching as Puck nodded. "Tell Rachel" he added, noticing her confused expression.

"So the other night I go to see this girl right; hot, got her own place, down for whatever. I had just planned on fucking her and getting my rocks off when I got there, but as soon as I walked in she pushed me against the door and hit her knees" he grinned, shooting Rachel a wink. "Anyways, just as I was finishing, she pulled back, and I shot all over her nose. You should have seen it, I tried to get her to let me take a picture but she wouldn't let me."

"Ugh, that's disgusting!" Rachel gasped, swatting at Puck with her hand in the poor girls' defense.

"Hey, she didn't seem to have a problem with it" he laughed, bumping fists with Finn. "Damn Finn, she's turning red. I didn't strike a nerve did I? You ever experienced that Berry?"

"I've done no such thing!" she sputtered wildly.

"Bullshit, every girl says never, but everybody knows things change behind closed doors" Finn taunted.

"Well I hate to disappoint you, but that's not the case with me."

"So you've never sang into the skin-tone microphone? Like ever?" Puck asked incredulously, her shaking her head no. "Your poor boyfriend. Do you at least have sex?"

"That's none of your business!" she squawked, becoming more flustered as the conversation progressed.

"So you'll have sex with a dude, but you won't give him any special treatment? Damn, he must not be taking care of you" Puck pressed, now watching her reactions intently. She flushed under both of their gazes, looking down at their feet to let her hair curtain her face. "You poor thing, come here and lay your head on my bosom" he cooed, pulling Rachel forward and rubbing her cheek against his chest.

She laughed, her initial mortification dimming at his gesture. It was a little ridiculous how comfortable she had become with these boys in such a short amount of time, she hadn't even shared the details with Brittany and Santana yet. Though that was mostly because she knew Santana would judge her, and they would try to give her a hands on demonstration of how things should feel.

"Stop" she laughed, pushing him away with her small hands.

"I don't know how you're making it with someone who doesn't give you what you need in the bedroom, that would be a definite deal breaker for me." Rachel said nothing, again looking down at her feet to avoid the conversation. Of course it wasn't that easy. "It's a deal breaker for you too isn't it?"

"Wait, what?" Finn piped in, both eyebrows raised as he stared at her.

"It's not just that..."

"You're really breaking up with your boyfriend?" Finn asked, stepping closer to them.

"I'm not sure...Probably."

"Cause he sucks in bed, poor guy."

"That is not it!" she squeaked, balling her hands up into fists at her sides. "I just, I don't really feel like I'm as invested in the relationship as he is anymore. We're in two different places now which doesn't make things any easier, and I can't really see it working."

"I knew it, everyone knows you don't bring the baggage with you to college" Puck said, shaking his head slightly. "These are the times you spread your wings and let your freak flag fly. I completely support your decision to move on, find somebody new to show you how it's done since the poor guy didn't know what he was doing."

"You're impossible, I told you it wasn't just the physical aspect."

"Whatever the case, you're doing yourself a favor. The single life is the best, we haven't been tied down in at least two years" he said, looking over at Finn conspiratorially, "and we're completely happy. No drama, no spending excessive amounts of money on chick stuff, and you can take somebody new for a spin whenever you want without feeling guilty about it" he finished, pounding fists with Finn again.

Men.

"I didn't even realize the two of you were having problems, you hadn't mentioned anything" Finn said, looking at her.

"We're not actually having any problems. He's sweet, and he treats me will and all, it's just-"

"He treats you too good. He's too nice" Finn mocked, rolling his eyes. "Isn't that always the case? That's why I don't do relationships, women are too confusing You're too good to them, they get bored and leave you. Be a dick to them and they cling to you then eventually flip out and try to kill you or something. There's just no winning."

"That's just not true, it's not like that at all."

"Don't start Berry, he could debate with you on that all day. Huddy over here has trust issues" Puck said, placing a hand on Rachel's shoulder. He released her, stepping up to the table and stretching to grab her keys down and hand to her. "Peace offering so I don't have to sit through this debate?"

She nodded stubbornly, taking the keys from him as she stared Finn down. A part of her knew that he wasn't far off in his assessment. Everything he'd said had been spot on in a lot of cases, though she would never admit that out loud, especially not to men. The worst part was the conviction in his voice when he'd said all those things though. He must have really been hurt in the past to feel so strongly about it.

"Fine, but you're wrong. Women aren't all like that, you just need to find the right one."

"Don't believe in 'Right One' crap, it's a joke. I'm more of a 'Right for the Night' kind of guy" he said casually, finally leaning over to break up the forgotten balls."I'm not gonna judge you for dumping him though. If you're not happy you shouldn't be in the relationship. You owe it to yourself to be free and find out what you want, don't you?"

She nodded, slightly taken aback at his words as she hung her keys around her neck. "I guess I do."

"You want winner?" he asked, effectively ending the heavy conversation.

"No, I'm going to go ahead and walk back to my room. Will you be around tomorrow?"

"You're leaving already?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, I have a lot to think about" she answered, waving goodbye to her boys as she left them.

**_Thanks for reading and all of the support! Hope you are enjoying so far!_**

**_Reviews are love! _**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the lyrics included in this story._**

**_Just a friendly reminder, this is a Drama. Things have been pretty happy and friendly so far, but don't expect a happy ending very soon. The drama is just beginning!_**

"**_You took your time with the call; I took my time with the fall. You gave me nothing at all, but still you're in my way."_**

Rachel sat across from Sam in the little on-campus diner, sipping her drink daintily as she debated on how to broach the subject. In a way, she felt like he knew what was coming. They had sat in an awkward silence the whole time they'd been on this little lunch date, both of them waiting to see who would make the first move. She knew she should act soon; she had skipped her last class of the afternoon for this, ready to start her weekend off the right way.

It had taken her all week to make her decision; weighing the pros and cons of their relationship, listening to break up songs and testing to see if they made her feel like she was making the wrong decision, but she never did. In fact, she felt free. It only added to her resolve that they hadn't kept up much contact, sharing only a few text messages a day, and an occasional short goodnight phone call. They really were just growing apart, and it didn't hurt near as much as she thought it would.

"So…" she started, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin as she pushed away her empty plate. "I think we need to talk."

"Alright, what's up Rachel" he asked, looking her straight in the eye for the first time. "Or do I already know?"

She sighed heavily, reaching forward to grab his hand over the table. "You feel it too don't you?"

"I don't want to."

"I'm so sorry Sam" she whispered. "But I don't think we can ignore it any longer, we're only hurting one another." He only nodded, dropping his gaze to the table. "I don't know what happened to us."

"Do you think it's me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No Sam, of course not" she said softly, squeezing his hand. "You were an amazing boyfriend. You're sweet and respectful, you're loyal, funny, and you're going to make somebody so unbelievably happy" she finished, a small tear sliding down her cheek.

"Someone, just not you" he guessed, looking up to see her nod sadly.

"I never meant to hurt you Sam. I love you, I do. I just don't think…I honestly don't believe it would be fair to either of us to maintain a relationship that we aren't both fully invested in, don't you agree?" He nodded again, looking at her with no anger in his eyes. He knew this was the right thing. "If you think this isn't a good idea, if you think we should keep fighting through, then tell me, and I'll try. But I don't think you do, I think deep down you want to be free too. We had a good run, but we owe this to one another."

Sam looked up, the tiniest smile on his face as he looked at her. "You always were the smart one" he said, giving her hand a squeeze before he released it. "I agree with you, I think it's time."

"Thank you" she smiled, pulling her jacket around herself as he picked up their empty plates to throw in the garbage.

"You know, we used to be really good friends before all of this. I think somewhere along the line we must have lost that. I'd really like to have it back" he said, giving her a beautiful smile, one that erased any worry she had about where this would leave them.

"I'd really love that" she grinned, leaning forward to wrap her thin arms around his torso in a hug. It was strange, as intimate as they had been, all of the time they had dated, and she never felt more at peace with the relationship than she did right now. She knew in her heart this was the right decision. She also knew where she really wanted to be right now. The first person she wanted to share the news with.

"Can I drive you back to your room or somewhere" he asked, holding open the café door for her as they exited. Rachel only shook her head with a smile, turning to look towards The Playground at the far end of the University Center.

"No thanks, I think I'm going to go get in some practice. Have a safe drive home Sam, I hope things work out for the best for you, you deserve it" she smiled, leaning forward to give him one final goodbye hug.

* * *

"Hello world" Rachel called, pushing the double doors open as she made her entrance into the room. Finn, all alone in the bay, stepped out to study her with a smirk.

"Somebody looks excited" he assessed, eyes never wavering from her.

"I am excited, I feel so…free and open" she gushed, poking him in the chest as she walked further into the room.

"I see. I take it that means you broke the poor guys heart then?"

"I most certainly did not break his heart thank you very much. We came to a mutual agreement to terminate the relationship; it was what was best for the both of us."

Finn only laughed, shaking his head at her. "Well I'm proud of you midget. Any plans on what to do with all this newfound freedom?"

"I hadn't really put that all much thought into that aspect" she said thoughtfully. "I'll figure it out though; I have all the time in the world."

"Exactly, don't worry about planning shit, just focus on having fun" he said, nodding his head. "That's my motto."

"And aren't you just the model citizen" she teased, walking past him to finger the pool cues hanging on the wall. "Do you want to play a game?"

"I'm tired of you whipping up on me, I need a break" he joked, sticking out his tongue at her as he stepped back into the bay to retrieve his keys. "I actually wasn't planning on staying here long; I just dropped by for a work meeting."

"Oh" she pouted, suddenly a lot less excited about playing. "Are you going home?"

"Nope, I'm going fishing."

"Fishing?"

"Yep. Let me guess, you've never been" he said, grinning at her as she shook her head. "Did you have your heart set on shooting pool?"

"Not really" she said quickly, stepping away from the sticks.

She would much rather spend her afternoon enjoying a new experience with Finn than drilling the proper 'down the rail' shot again. Some part of her mind knew she'd rather spend an afternoon doing _anything_ that included Finn, but that wasn't the point. This was a new experience, the first of many.

"Cool, you probably weren't going to make any progress alone" he laughed, dodging her punch as he held the door open. "Do you wanna go fishing midget? It doesn't take much skill, just patience, so you should be okay."

"In spite of your incredibly rude way of invitation, I would love too" she smiled, walking out the door after him.

"Cool. I need to pick up a few things first, so meet me at Wal-Mart."

"Wait, what?" she cried, looking up as the smile grew on his face.

"I'm joking, come on short stuff" he laughed, leading her over to his dark blue truck.

Looking up at it, Rachel realized that she'd never actually seen his car before. Any time they hung out, it was in The Playground. Now that she thought about it, she realized this was the first time she and Finn would be hanging out outside of there. It was nice, really nice. She opened the door and gripped the handle at the top to pull herself into the tall truck, hearing him chuckle from his side.

"Should I get you a stepladder?"

"Shut up, we can't all be giants" she scoffed, slamming her door shut just to annoy him. As expected he flinched at the sound, turning to glare at her while she smiled sweetly at him. "Is there a problem Finn?"

"Yeah, you need to put on your seat belt."

"Huh?"

"Your seat belt" he said, undoing his own, then refastening it as if he were demonstrating it to a child. "I'm not getting a ticket for you woman" he said, abandoning his lecture to reach across her and grab the strap himself. Her breath caught as his forearm brushed across her chest, somehow managing to leave goosebumps even through her shirt. He brought the strap around her, buckling it with a loud click. "Damn your boobs are small" he suddenly commented, completely ruining the moment for her.

"Jerk! My breasts are perfectly perky and _petite_. You shouldn't be checking them out anyway."

"So it's okay for you to check me out and poke me in the ass with your pool stick, but I can't make a simple observation?"

"Simple observation huh? I was under the impression you didn't even acknowledge the existence of my lady parts."

"I usually don't, it's weird. But they were in my face, so...I'm a dude" he finished simply, his gaze suddenly following a pretty brunette walking down the sidewalk, causing him to pause before backing out of his space.

"How flattering" she said, rolling her eyes. "You're such a dog."

"Woof woof baby" he grinned, backing up and taking off down the road.

* * *

"I can't believe I just got my first fishing license" she cried, a little bounce in her step as she trailed along behind Finn.

"It's a little bit weird how excited you are about this, you need to live more" he laughed, his eyes shining down at her as they walked out of Wal-Mart, into lobby area.

"Don't judge me, I'm a late bloomer and you know this. Oh Finn, look!" she cried, spotting a beautiful, small, pink stuffed bear in the skill crane claw machine. The small bear called out to her from it's place in the window as she walked over to it. "Do you have any quarters?"

"So typical, a woman wanting money" he fake whined, pulling his wallet out of the back pocket of his pants. "I have a dollar in quarters, that's all you're getting out of me."

Rachel beamed, bouncing again as she greedily took the quarters from him and inserted two in the machine for her first turn. She grabbed the stick as the claw came to life, guiding it along until she thought she had it perfectly placed over the bear. She brought the claw down, eagerly watching as it bypassed the bear completely, grabbing nothing but air as it came up. "Crap."

"Damn Rach, and I thought your aim was bad in pool" he chuckled, pushing her aside to insert the next two quarters in himself. "Let me show you how it's done."

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest at his act of chauvinism. She couldn't really complain though, it was his money and he did have a much better chance of catching the bear than she did. Rachel watched as he stretched, flexing his muscles before he gripped the stick. He maneuvered it around, squinting as he tried to position it perfectly over the bear. Finally, he dropped it down, missing the bear and instead picking up a tiny box.

Finn reached in to retrieve the box. Opening it, they found a small plastic ring with a bright green jewel in the center.

"What are we supposed to do with this" she asked, a little sad that they were out of quarters and she couldn't get her bear. Looking down at the ring, then back up at her, he lifted it out of it's box, looking down at her finger with an exaggeratedly nervous face. She laughed, extending her left hand to him as she patted fake tears. "I do" she giggled as he slipped it on and grinned.

"Never say I didn't give you anything" he said, snapping the empty box shut and tossing it in the trash as they finally left the store, Rachel running her fingers over her new favorite piece of jewelry.

* * *

Never in her life would Rachel have thought she would find herself fishing, in a small pond hidden in the woods. She considered herself much more of a city girl, but there was something appealing about this. The sun shining down on them in their own little spot, the water rippling as the fish moved about underneath, the beautiful boy standing next to her, looking contently out into the water. It was oddly peaceful. Even if at the same time completely and utterly frustrating.

"How do possibly have fun doing this" she cried, staring down into the pond willing the fish to show up. They'd been at it for at least an hour and so far she hadn't managed to catch anything, small fish coming over the swim around her bait then darting away. It was infuriating, while Finn on the other hand had already caught four well-sized fish, forced her to take pictures, then tossed them back into the pond. Stupid talented, attractive, frustrating man.

"It's fun when you don't suck."

Rachel snatched the line out of the water, attempting to hit him with the gross fake bait on the end. Instead, the line missed him, flying around her in circles until she was essentially hogtied in it. "Finn!"

"Ha Ha! Don't yell at me, you did it to yourself" he laughed, tears coming to his eyes as he pulled out his phone to take a picture of her. "Wait 'til Puck sees this."

"Very funny Finn, now would you stop being juvenile and help me get loose?"

"You could have taken my eye out Rachel, I might need to leave you like that, you could attack again" he laughed, replacing his phone and setting down his pole to come over and help her.

"You're so mean to me, I don't know why I hang out with you" she pouted, poking out her lips as he unwrapped the line from her.

"Because I'm awesome, and hilarious, and hot, and talented, and-"

"And terribly modest" she added, rolling her eyes in good nature at him as he worked.

"Obviously" he grinned, shooting her a wink. Rachel blinked, noticing for the first time the flecks of gold in his eyes as he unwrapped the final round of line from her. "And I'm the best teacher ever, you know it. Give me a few more times bringing you here, and you'll catch something, I guarantee it."

"We're going to come back?" she asked, looking up at him with a hopeful gaze. She really liked the sound of that.

"Well yeah, you just bought a license, I figured you want to get your money's worth out of it. We can bring Puck next time, and Will and Mike. It'll be fun, all of your friends."

"Those aren't my only friends, I'm not a hermit" she scoffed, grabbing the line in her hand and tossing it back into the water.

"Defensive aren't we?" he taunted, nudging her in the side, causing her bait to shake and scaring off the small fish that had just approached her.

"I hate you, you're the worst friend ever."

"Sucks that I'm one of your only friends then doesn't it?" he teased, walking a good enough distance away from her that she couldn't retaliate.

"You are not, I have other friends. Friends that are much kinder, and are tons of fun. As a matter of fact you have been hogging me from them. I think I'm going to schedule us a play date soon."

"A play date Rachel? Did you seriously just say play date? Wow."

"I can call the time that I spend with my friends whatever I like" she defended, desperately thinking of a fun way to describe her dinner dates, and numerous movie nights with Brittany and Santana.

"Of course. I'm sure that you and your friends have the best time on these play dates. Do you put on your onesies and play scrabble? My grammy loves scrabble" he said, bursting out into laughter at her.

She blushed scarlet at him, knowing full well that on certain occasions she in fact had been known to put on her old Winnie the Pooh pajamas and stayed up playing board games with her dads. That wasn't all there was to her, but she couldn't blame him for thinking so. Everything about her radiated ordinary, safe.

_Well its about time that changed _she thought, squaring her shoulders as she pulled out her phone to text Brittany. She had big plans to make.

_**Thanks for the read, hope you are enjoying so far!**_

_**I'll update soon as I can!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the lyrics included in this story.**_

_**"I don't wanna be one of the boys, one of your guys. Just give me a chance to prove to you tonight, that I just wanna be one of the girls, pretty in pearls, not one of the boys."  
**_

_**-from 'One of the Boys' by Katy Perry**_

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this" Rachel cried, clutching the fruity alcoholic cocktail that Santana had prepared for them. "I feel so bad, and so good; like I feel scared sick cause security could burst in at any second and send us all to jail for underage drinking, but it's an exhilarating kind of sick."

"Calm down hobbit, we're going to be fine, me and Britts do this all the time" she laughed. "That guy must really get under your skin to inspire you to do this huh?"

"I don't know what you mean" Rachel said, bringing the drink to her lips yet again.

"We've been trying to get you to come out with us for the last few weeks and you never would, but one conversation with the pool boy and you're down."

"It's not that San" she defended weakly. "I always wanted to go out with you guys, but I had a boyfriend at the time. I didn't feel it was appropriate then, but that isn't the case anymore so, why not?" she finished, taking a large gulp from her drink.

"Okay, I'm going to need for you to slow down with that" Santana said, grabbing the drink from Rachel's hands. "It's your first time, and I can already tell you're going to be a lightweight. I am not carrying your ass around all night, so take it easy_. Moderation" _she emphasized, taking a small sip from her own drink as demonstration.

"Are you sure you don't like that guy Rachel? You spend like, every day with him and you talk about him all the time" Brittany piped in, sorting through their mixed array of clothes to pick outfits.

Truth be told, she really did think of Finn a lot often than she cared to reveal to anyone, and not always in just the 'friends' kind of way. It had been that way since the first day he walked into The Playground and introduced himself. But no one else needed to know about that fantasy.

"Yes I'm sure Brit, we're just friends" she exclaimed loudly, if not entirely convincingly, noticing Santana's doubtful stare. "Seriously. He's not exactly the 'boyfriend' type, and I just got out of a relationship anyway so it's nothing like that."

"Suuuure" Santana called, rolling her eyes as she walked over to help Brittany.

"We just get along really well, we're boys" she recited just a little sadly. "He doesn't look at me that way."

"Let's see how he looks at you when he sees you in this" Brittany cheered, holding up a tiny pair of white shorts and a cropped deep blue over the shoulder top that made her cringe a little bit just to look at. "Do you have any shoes that go with this Tana? I don't trust hers" she whispered, eying Rachel's penny loafers with barely masked distaste.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" she asked, pulling at the fabric of the purple sundress she'd initially planned on wearing. It had taken her hours to decide on this outfit, she was comfortable with it.

"Are you kidding me?" Santana started, raising both eyebrows as she started in on her. "You look like a freaking-"

Rachel flinched as Brittany's hand came over Santana's mouth to prevent whatever hurtful thing she was going to say. Oh how Rachel loved Brittany.

"Your clothes are...well they look like you Rachel so that's okay. But, your friends already think you're a boy, maybe if you dressed a little differently, they wouldn't be confused. See, like this" she said, releasing Santana and grasping the sides of Rachel's shirt, pulling to make the fabric stretch across her chest. "I can totally tell you have boobs now! Confusion all gone!" she declared, clapping for her own stroke of genius.

"She's right. You want to come out with us, it's on our terms, and we say this is what you wear" Santana stated, reaching forward to lift Rachel's dress over her head.

"Hey! I can do it myself!" Rachel cried, stepping back and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Well by all means, go ahead" Santana smiled, lifting the shirt over her own head and pulling on the black tank top, slashes going through the back to reveal large amounts of her tanned skin. Smirking she tossed the abandoned shirt at Rachel, hitting her in the face with it before pulling on the short multicolored skirt.

Looking over, Rachel watched as Brittany followed suit, pulling down her shorts and replacing them with the striped black and white ones she had picked out, not even covering herself in the g-string she was wearing as she did so. She then removed her top, revealing her bare breasts to Rachel as she pulled on the shimmery halter top. Rachel gulped, knowing that they were testing her, so she grabbed her drink, downing another large gulp before she sat it down and lifted her dress.

"Damn Berry" Santana praised, eying Rachel's pale pink bra and matching panties as she reached to pull on the white shorts. "That's a hot little body you've been hiding there." She brought over a strappy pair of sandals, handing them to Rachel as she continued to stare appreciatively.

She smiled as she fastened the shorts, grabbing up the top and pulling it down into place. Rachel stepped in front of Brittany's full length mirror, smiling widely as she took in her own reflection. The shorts really did make her legs look amazing, and as she turned to inspect behind, she found that they fit her hips perfectly, hugging the curves of her behind enticingly. The top was snug fitting, her breasts popping out against the fabric that stopped midway her belly. She had never worn anything like this, and before she actually saw herself in it, you would have never convinced her that she could pull it off.

"We're geniuses" Brittany cheered, walking up to wrap an arm around both Rachel and Santana. "You look super hot Rachel. But, it needs something" she said thoughtfully, studying Rachel's frame in the mirror before towards her nightstand.

Rachel and Santana shared a confused glance before finally shrugging, it was Brittany. Rachel made her way over to Brittany's dresser as she took another sip of her drink, starting to really feel the effects of it. "So where is this party at" she asked, sitting down in front of the attached mirror as Santana combed her fingers through Rachel's hair, applying mists of hair spray.

"A friend of a friends' house" she answered, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't actually know the people, but they throw awesome parties, and the house is right off the campus grounds, so we don't have to risk driving trashed, it's perfect."

"Cool" Rachel giggled, reaching forward to apply her eyeliner and mascara.

"Found it" Brittany squealed, bouncing towards Rachel and pulling her up from her seat. She bent down, her eyes level with Rachel's abdomen as she studied it. "I thought it was pierced. It looks like your holes closing, why?"

"My friends from high school wanted to do something big for graduation. Most of them got tattoos, but I ended up just getting my belly button pierced. I don't really wear rings that often, most of my old rings got lost in the move, and I lost the ball to my last one in my sleep the other night."

"Well tonight you're going to wear this" Brittany said, holding up a dangling rhinestone 'R' belly ring.

"Brit, why do you have an 'R' belly ring?"

"It's not an 'R' Rachel" Brittany whispered, "it's a handicapped B" she explained, drawing an imaginary line from one bottom end of the 'R' and connecting it to the other, forming a 'B'. "It's sensitive about it's condition. But it will pass for an 'R' for you tonight."

Rachel giggled loudly, the alcohol making that a lot funnier than it should have been as she nodded. "Thank you Brit."

Brittany smiled as she unscrewed the top of the ring, placing it at Rachel's belly button and pushed it through. "There, now you're perfect!"

"How do you feel?" Santana asked, leading Rachel back over to the full length mirror to give herself a once over as Brittany finished her makeup.

She inspected her wildly tousled hair and the smoky eyes with deep satisfaction. She had never seen herself look so hot before, like ever. The impressive reflection in the mirror, combined with the confidence the alcohol was igniting in her made her laugh loudly as she raised her arms in the air and spun in a circle before caging Santana in her tiny arms for a hug.

"I feel amazing Tana! Amazing and sexy, and so excited! We're going to have so much fun tonight!"

"The party doesn't really start up til about 11 at the earliest, and it's only 9:30 now. What did you wanna do to pass the time?"

"I know exactly what we should do" Rachel declared, swaying slightly on her way to the dresser, puckering her lips to apply some gloss for a finishing touch. "I think it's time you meet Finn."

* * *

Rachel stumbled slightly, holding onto Brittany's elbow as they made their way through the U.C. "There are never this many people here" she said, looking around at the crowded building. "There must be something going on tonight."

"Or they all knew we were making an appearance" Brittany giggled, "The party don't start til I walk in" she sang, imitating Kesha with a loud laugh as Santana opened the doors to The Playground.

There were more people in tonight than she had ever seen as she looked around. Rachel let her eyes search the bay first, finding nothing. She continued her survey, finding every bowling lane filled up with groups of people she'd never seen, and all of the ping pong and Foosball tables were also occupied. She searched all of the pool tables until she finally spotted him, bent down over the table shooting a game with Puck.

Perfect.

"There he is" she whispered, nodding her head towards the table.

"Please tell me not the dude with the ridiculous mohawk."

"No! The one putting the chalk on his stick, see?" she sighed. He must have felt all of their eyes on him, because as soon as he'd made his shot, he turned to them. Finn's mouth immediately fell open, the butt of his stick dropping to the ground as he shot straight up.

Well that was a good reaction.

Rachel linked arms with her two friends, pulling them towards the table that her other two best friends occupied. This was going to be fun.

"Hot damn Rachel" Puck said eying her with something akin to awe. "And who are your friends?" he asked, stroking a hand back through his mohawk in an attempt at being suave as Finn collected himself.

"Boys, this is Santittany and Brittana" she announced proudly, slurring her words terribly. She giggled at her mistake, placing a hand over her mouth. "Oops. Santana and Brittany, my friends" she amended, beaming brightly at Finn.

"Rachel, are you drunk?" he asked, staring at her with a lopsided smile, her favorite lopsided smile.

"What gave it away jolly green giant?" Santana said, sarcasm dripping from her tone as she stared at him judgmentally. "I don't know where you see the beautiful Rach, he looks kinda doofy to me."

"Excuse me?" he asked, the sting of the insult apparently lost on him since he turned to Rachel with a laugh. "You think I'm beautiful? I knew you were checking me out." Finn looked down at her, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"Don't flatter yourself Finn" she scoffed, hopefully convincingly. It was hard to tell with all of the alcohol in her system already, she couldn't even attempt to stomp on Tana's foot for fear that she would stumble. "I also said that your attitude pretty much ruined the good looks" she stated, shrugging her shoulders as she stumbled towards Puck. "Why are there so many people here? Is this a party? Is it somebody's birthday?"

"Ooh is there cake?" Brittany interjected excitedly.

"Umm no. The University is holding some kind of overnight event tonight, so we're having free play until 2 a.m." Finn explained with a groan.

"Yeah yeah, so what are you ladies' plans for the evening?" Puck asked, sidling up next to Santana with his game face on. Rachel definitely recognized that face, and she laughed preparing herself for the rejection.

"Getting out of this lame ass hole and hitting a party so we can have real fun" Santana said snidely, looking to her left for Brittany. Not finding her, she turned further around, searching for her blonde partner, finally spotting her talking with a girl they recognized from the dance team.

"I'll be right back guys, we're going to play dance dance revolution!" Santana watched her girlfriend walk away with a slight frown.

"We should play too! Can we play with you guys?" Rachel asked, bouncing forward to grab Finn's elbow for no apparent reason.

"Uh, sure. Me and Puck will split up, I'll take you and he can have your friend so it'll be fair" he said, motioning for Puck to rack the balls.

"Hell yeah! No offense Rach" Puck said.

"None taken" she smiled, more than happy to be paired with Finn.

Puck racked the balls up as Finn wordlessly grabbed a cue stick off the wall to hand to Santana. "You didn't get me one" Rachel said, trying to keep the jealousy out of her voice. She should have figured he would be attracted to Santana, it _was_ Finn.

"You can share mine" he answered smoothly, making her eyes widen as she looked down at his cue, he had never let her even touch it before. "Just don't drop it, or I'll have to kill you."

"Okay."

Rachel watched as he approached the table, bending down and drawing his stick back before slamming the cue ball into the rack. Rachel actually felt the force from his stroke, her stomach muscles tightening as the sound echoed in her ears and the balls rolled about wildly, two of them dropping in the pocket.

_That_ was hot.

"Nice break dude" Puck called. "We're gonna whip your ass when you miss though. Again, no offense Rachel, you're still hot."

"If I didn't look hot you wouldn't mind offending me?" she giggled, rolling her eyes at her crude friend as Finn continued to shoot, making in another ball.

"Probably" he grinned. Finally Finn missed a shot, leaving only two of their balls on. He really was just too talented.

"So you guys are really going out tonight?" Finn asked as he walked over, looking down at her outfit before meeting her eyes again.

"Yep, to an actual college house party" she cheered, her smile so wide it actually kind of hurt.

"I would hope so, that doesn't look like a knitting outfit" he teased, nudging her in the side.

"Shut up!"

"I still can't get over the fact that you're tipsy" he said, shaking his hand. "You turn single and you go wild."

Rachel laughed, punching him in the shoulder. "Being wild is fun so far. They probably never would've gotten me in this outfit had I not had some alcohol in my system. I'd be way too self conscious."

"You shouldn't be, you actually look hot" he said simply, looking away from her to watch Puck shoot in his third ball. "Maybe we should've gotten you some condoms at Wal-Mart the other day, we don't need you to coming in here pregnant after this party tonight. We'd have to kick you off the team, pregnant people can't shoot pool, their bellies get in the way" he teased.

"Funny, you don't seem to be having a problem bending your fat ass over the table, how do you do it?" Santana asked in mock wonder, interrupting them. "It's your shot Rach."

"Finn is not fat Tana, leave him alone" Rachel groaned, swaying towards the table with Finn's stick in hand. She eyed the balls, excited to see that he had left her with a straight in shot to start with. She sank the ball in perfectly, giving a small bow as she moved on to the next shot. Though it was slightly more difficult, down the rail, somehow she pulled through, sinking it in as well.

"Tell 'em who taught you that Rach."

"Finn!" she sang, beaming at her audience, extremely proud of her improving skills, even through her slight drunkenness. The joy died when she looked at her next shot though, she'd left herself with a cut shot. She hadn't even practiced cut shots yet. Crap. "Help?"

He came to stand next to her, looking at the balls as well. "Okay Rach, this is going to be kinda hard but you're gonna have to cut in the side" he said, pointing towards the ball.

"Hey, no coaching!" Puck cried.

"Shut up dude, she's still new at this. You can help Santana if she needs it when her time comes."

Puck stopped, watching Finn lean over behind Rachel at the table and quickly changed his mind, hoping to get to give Santana the same type of coaching soon. "Cool deal, proceed."

Rachel brushed her hair away from her bare shoulder, eager to feel Finn's breath on her skin much like she had felt the day he taught her how to break. He leaned closer, staring down the line to determine how the ball should roll.

"These shots aren't really that hard, it just takes a lot of attention to detail" he explained, moving his hand to the exposed skin of her waist to get her to move over slightly, changing the angle of the shot. "It's all in the angle. You have to hit it in just the right spot" he breathed against her shoulder, the warm breath raising her body temperature by about a hundred degrees as she fought to keep standing. Damn all this alcohol, it was really messing her up.

Or maybe it was just Finn.

"You find the line that the ball needs to travel, and you line up accordingly" he said, adjusting the tip of the cue slightly, curling his hand around hers as he guided her. "Then there's the speed. If you hit it too fast" he said, pulling back on the stick then pushing it forward between her fingers quickly, making her jump slightly in surprise "or too slow" he said, pulling it back and pushing forward with exaggerated slowness as she bit her lip, his hips pushing into her hip slightly, "it won't go in right. You have to have just the right speed."

"If you two are done, we'd like to get this game over with" Santana called, rolling her eyes at them. "We have a party to get too."

"I think she's got it" he said, smirking as he righted himself and stepped back. "Let's win this Rach."

She shook her head at the haze he left her in, trying to gain her focus as she leaned over to take the shot. Keeping his instructions in mind, she narrowed her eyes, gave her shot a few practice strokes, then pushed forward, knocking the eight ball in and winning the game.

"Yay Finn! We won!" she squealed, turning to him with a huge smile as he raised his hand in the air for a high five.

"Oh right, midget" he said, lowering his hand down for a low five.

"I officially don't want to celebrate with you anymore" she pouted, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Always so dramatic" he grinned, pulling her in for a side hug. "You're lucky you're such a pool shark or I couldn't deal with your diva attitude."

"Smooth Gigantor" Santana said, coming over to pull Rachel away from him. "It's time to go, say goodbye to your _loser friends" _she said, eying Puck, apparently angry that he lost them the game since she didn't actually get to shoot. He shrank at her glower, dropping his eyes to the ground as Brittany finally rejoined them.

"You ladies be careful tonight, don't do anything I wouldn't do" Finn warned.

"That's not saying much, but we'll try" she called as Santana tugged her towards the door. She waved wildly, looking back at him, still watching her as the doors closed behind them. Rachel was still smiling as they made their way out of the building, into the warm air of the night. She stared up at the stars, getting more and more excited about her plans for the night as they walked, things had already gotten off to a really good start.

"We should probably take you to the clinic to make sure you aren't pregnant or didn't catch anything from that" Santana stated, smirking at Rachel. "You little slut, I knew you liked him."

"I do not! He is hot though isn't he?" Rachel giggled, clutching at Brittany's hand. "You missed it Brit, we had so much fun!"

"Some of us more than others" Santana taunted, making a gagging gesture toward Rachel.

"Whatever you say Tana, I was just having fun, just like I intend to continue doing if the two of you would stop slowing me down!" Rachel bounced forward, partly running and partly skipping towards Santana's car as she laughed out loud. "Let's get this party started!"

_**This 'Partying' plan is being broken into two chapters because it was getting so dang long! Anyways, hope you're enjoying so far!**_

_**Update coming as soon as I can get it out! In the meantime, check out 'The Tether'!  
**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the lyrics.**_

_**Sorry it's taken so long to update guys, it's been a really busy week and I got kind of blocked on this. But I'm back with a super long chapter and I hope you enjoy! Oh, and thanks so much for all the favs/reviews/follows on this story, it means so much! **_

"_**You stood there in front of me just close enough to touch, close enough to hope you couldn't see what I was thinking of"**_

_**-from 'Sparks Fly'**_

Rachel hopped out of the compact car, adjusting her clothes as Santana cut the engine and climbed out. She made a beeline for the house, more than ready to start her first night out.

"Hold up Hobbit, we need to lay some ground rules before we go in."

"Ugh, rules? There aren't supposed to be any rules, I thought tonight was about letting loose and having fun? I vote no rules!" she protested loudly, raising her hand in the air to symbolize her vote.

"Well too bad your vote doesn't count for shit, you're gonna follow the rules or we're taking you back to the dorm and dropping you off, got it?" Rachel nodded sullenly as Santana started to count them off on her fingers. It was already hard enough to concentrate on what she was saying, the loud music pounding out from the house wasn't helping. She just wanted to get in there already.

"I don't care if you feel like your feet are gonna fall off, under no circumstances do you take off your shoes. Don't stray too far from us, and if you do let us know where you're going. You go home with **Nobody **unless you clear it with me first, and Do Not take a drink from anybody besides the bartender. Understood?"

Rachel nodded along, hiding her eye roll from Santana as she pushed through her two friends to the front door. "Crystal clear, now, shall we?" she asked, holding out an arm for each of them. The girls hooked on to her, and she cheered loudly as they made their way into the house.

* * *

Rachel lost track of how long they had been at the party, as well as one of her earrings. Neither really mattered though, she was having the time of her life. As soon as they had approached the makeshift bar, Brittany and Santana had told the guy that it was their anniversary and they were celebrating. After making out in front of him for about two minutes he quickly decided that the three of them could have free drinks all night. She'd been steadily throwing back the burning punch, that didn't really burn anymore, ever since.

Rachel laid on the counter she had been occupying for the last little while, her shirt riding up to just below her breasts as the stranger took a shot from her belly button. She laughed as the scruff on his jaw tickled her skin, before she sat up to give him a high five. The next person came, laying her back and placing the shot glass right on the hollow of her throat. She tried her best to keep still so that it wouldn't make a mess, making her body rigid as the sandy haired boy slid his chin up her sternum, letting his lips drag up her skin to the glass, tipping it towards him and taking the shot. Finally when it was over she burst out into more laughter, she felt like a human bar, and it was beyond exhilarating.

Once her stomach felt much stickier than she was comfortable with, she rose up to swing herself off the counter. Almost as soon as she was on her feet a pretty blonde climbed into her place. Rachel shrugged, she could always come back later, right now she wanted to go to the restroom and rinse off.

She made her way through the room, keeping her eyes open for Brittany and Santana,she had gotten away from them long ago. She knew they would be pissed when they finally reunited, but she wouldn't think about that right now. It wasn't really her fault that the place was so crowded, when the nice guy with the tongue ring had pulled her in to dance, she had no idea when she looked back that she wouldn't be able to find her friends. She had been on her own ever since.

Suddenly hands came around Rachel's waist as she walked along the edge of the dance floor. She turned her head to find a nice looking, dark haired guy standing to her side. He smiled as he pulled her back to where he was leaned against the wall, and started to dance. On autopilot, Rachel started to move with him, ignoring her earlier need to clean off as the man rolled his hips into her backside. She swayed and ground back, her hands on hips thighs to keep herself steady. She wasn't really sure why, all she knew was that it made her feel sexy, and good when she danced, so she kept going.

"I'm Brody" he said loudly, leaning in towards her ear. "What's your name?"

"Rachel."

"You're the hottest thing I've seen all night Rachel, and one of the best dancers. Do you know how to twerk?"

She scrunched her face in confusion as she processed his question. She'd had one too many inappropriate favors asked of her tonight already.

"Is that some sort of sexual act?"

"No, it's dance."

Oh. She wasn't sure if what she had been doing all night had any type of name, and all that Santana had gone over with her was the 'wiggle and drop' as she liked to call it.

"I don't know, but I can do this." She arched her back and shook her hips, then slid her way down his front, keeping her hands on his thighs behind her to ensure that she wouldn't fall. The lower she stooped, the more sure she was that there was something back there poking into her.

"That's sexy, let's try this now" he said, placing his hand on the back of her neck and pushing her forward, bending her over. He rolled his hips into hers again slower, before thrusting them against her, practically screwing her on the dance floor. Rachel started to raise herself, a little uncomfortable with the position as Brody's hands ascended, crawling the way up the leg of her shorts.

"I need to pee!" she declared, stumbling forward and away from him.

"I'll go with you, show you where the bathroom is." Rachel looked down at the bulge in his pants, then back up to the mischievous glint in his eyes. She took another step back, stumbling into another woman, her hair pulled down into two cute pigtails. She looked like Dorothy from Oz, Rachel immediately liked her and gripped her elbow.

"Do you know where the bathroom is?"

"Yeah, do you need help finding it?" she asked as Rachel attached herself to Dorothy's side.

"Yes please. I don't trust him" she whispered much louder than intended.

The girl shot Brody a dirty look, then tugged Rachel away, leading her through the crowd. "Thank you for helping me, you're very kind Dorothy."

"No problem" the girl laughed. "I'll see you around."

Rachel stumbled forward, exhaling loudly as she finally relieved her screaming kidneys. She headed over to the sink to was her hands, completely forgetting to wash the leftover shot residue from her body as she dried them. She held onto the sides of the sink, "I'm not drunk, I'm not drunk, I'm not drunk" she chanted, swaying from side to side involuntarily as she stared at herself in the mirror. Finally, when she had just about convinced herself that she was ready to go, she opened the doors and made her way back into the party.

She continued her search for Santana and Brittany, stumbling around until she spotted Santana standing around a table with a group of people.

"Tana!" she cried, walking over to lean on her long lost friend. "I found you!"

"It's about time you showed up" she said, tossing the small white ball into a cup at the other end. "I was afraid you'd been kidnapped or something."

"Nope, safe and sound" she hiccuped, giggling at herself.

"Drink up boys" Santana called to the men at the other end of the table, smirking at them. "Have you ever played beer pong? I don't even know why I asked you that, of course you haven't. Do you wanna try?"

Rachel nodded eagerly as she took the small ball, attempting to absorb Santana's instructions as best she could. She cupped the ball in her hand and tossed it into the air, watching it arc and fall into a potted plant off in the corner. Crap. Finn was right, her aim sucked.

"Drink Berry" Santana said as the boys around the table started to cheer. She looked down at the cups, the cups that she was sure were probably filled to the rim with germs; open containers, tossing balls and all. She couldn't help but think that if Finn were here, he wouldn't ever miss and have to drink. Then again if Finn were here he'd probably be wrapped around some floozie like the couple in the far corner across from the beer pong set up.

"Do I have to?"

"It's the rules, toss it back."

Rachel lifted the cup, looking down at the murky liquid with disgust. She pinched her nose shut, praying that this might be a fairly sanitary cup as she brought it to her lips and chugged. She nearly gagged at the taste, it was by far the most disgusting alcohol she'd tasted so far. Shuddering, she walked over and dropped the cup in the nearby trashcan. Her stomach was starting to churn as the leftover taste settled in her mouth.

"You gonna go again?" Santana called over to her, lifting a beer to her own mouth.

"God no" she answered, not willing to miss and suffer through that again. "Where's Brittany?"

Following Santana's finger, Rachel turned, immediately spotting her blonde friend dancing atop a table in the middle of the crowded dance floor. Waving goodbye to Tana, Rachel tripped out to where Brittany was. She had both feet planted on the table top, controlling the attention of everyone around her as she danced. It looked amazing up there, and Rachel wanted to feel it too.

She walked over to the nearest empty table, climbing on top of it with only the slightest bit of trouble. As soon as she was standing mostly steady she started to sway, letting the beat guide her movements. She closed her eyes as she rocked her hips to the music, running her hands up her sides and through her hair, piling it on top of her head. She laughed out loud as the beat started to pick up, the adrenaline (and alcohol) rushing through her veins as she lost herself in the feeling. Rachel bounced on her toes, pulsing to the music wildly, until her stomach started to churn.

She paused her movements, opening her eyes as she knelt down on the table. Not a good idea, as soon as she re-opened them the room started to spin, her vision falling out of focus as the headache started to grow. She crawled down from the table, blindly walking over to the nearest couch to rest. Most of the couch was occupied, so she plopped herself between two decent looking men looking at them apologetically. Or well she though apologetically anyway, it might have very well just come off as sick. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Fine by me sugar" the boy to her right slurred, looking down at her. "Hey, I know you. You were giving body shots earlier. You taste really good" he finished, grinning wolfishly as he leaned closer to her.

"Thank you, it's always nice to meet a fan" she giggled, leaning her head over against his shoulder to rest.

"Has anyone told you how hot you look tonight baby?"

"Actually yes" she grinned, flipping her now sweat-matted hair over her shoulder. "It's very flattering, I don't mind if you want to tell me again."

"You're funny. What would you say about getting out of here? My boy's about to take some of us home, you're welcome to come with if you want...I can **show** you how hot I think you are."

"I'm not allowed to go home with anyone, but it's very kind of you to offer" she said, removing her head from his shoulder, and patting his knee. "But I'm not the kind of girl to follow home random guys anyway, Finn warned me earlier not to come home pregnant."

"You know Finn? Finn Hudson?"

"Yep, he's my boy" she said proudly, a smug grin crossing her face as she pictured her handsome friend in her mind. She kind of wished he was here, even if it did mean he would be out on the dance floor with some gorgeous girl then taking her home, much like this guy was trying to do with her. Her line of thought was halted as her line of sight was suddenly obstructed.

"Guess who" a deep voice said into her ear, their warm breath tickling the shell of it.

She whipped her head around from side to side, trying to see who had her. She pried at the large hand over her eyes, ignoring the way the quick motions were making her head pound. The voice released a deep chuckle as they finally lowered their hand. She turned around in her seat, eager to confront her attacker to come face to face with Finn's wide smile.

"Finn!" she smiled, standing up on her knees to look at him. He really was just too beautiful, it wasn't fair to the rest of the world. His smooth skin, the dimples in his cheeks, his untamed hair that she always just really wanted to touch. In her drunken haze, she leaned up to do just that, reaching her hand up to his hair, stroking her fingers through the strands. His face was a mask of amused confusion as she touched his hair, but he didn't move away.

"Looks like you've been having fun" he commented.

Rachel nodded excitedly, the motion making the pounding in her head even worse as her stomach started to churn. Her face fell as she looked at him. "I don't feel so good."

She closed her eyes and somehow sprouted wings, because all of a sudden she was flying. She was perfectly weightless, gliding through the air. Crisp air hit her face soon, and she no longer smelled alcohol and sweat and smoke. Though it felt wonderful, it wasn't enough to prevent what was bound to happen next. She only hoped that her vomit didn't fall from the sky into someone's face or something, that would be humiliating.

She felt herself come down, resting on her knees when the alcohol made its return. Her hair was lifted back out of her face and clear of the sick as she leaned over, emptying the contents of her stomach. When she was finally done she finally opened her eyes, finding Finn kneeling by her side, holding her hair for her. She refused to look down in front of her at the soiled bush, knowing that it would only make her sick again.

"Thank you" she said weakly, wiping off her mouth with the back of her hand. Too weak to stand up at the moment, she plopped down onto her bottom, leaning back against the side of the house.

"No problem" he answered, sitting himself down beside her.

"You don't have to stay out here with me, you can go back inside and enjoy the party Finn, I'll be okay."

"I'm not actually here for the party. Some of the Brothers needed a DD and they called us, we're just here to pick them up and get them home."

"We?"

"Yeah, Puck's inside."

"I didn't see him?"

"He didn't really get past the blonde with the see through shirt when we walked in. He might not come out for a while" he chuckled.

"Sounds like Puck. Shouldn't you be in there doing the same thing?"

"Nah, I'm cool out here with you. It's like a mad house in there, I got my ass pinched like three times when I walked in there. Women" he said, shaking his head.

"You don't know, it could have been a guy too." Rachel burst out laughing at the look on his face. The laugh didn't last long though, as the nausea returned. She flipped onto her knees, feeling Finn holding her hair again as she emptied into the bush yet again.

"Maybe we should get you home Rach."

"I don't think Tana and Brittany are ready to go yet" she sighed, leaning her head against the wall of the house again, the cool feeling of the brick soothing her overheated skin.

"Don't move okay, I'll be right back."

Rachel nodded at his words, closing her eyes. It didn't seem like she had been alone long, but soon she felt herself being lifted up. "It's Finn, don't freak out" he told her. "I'm going to take you home, okay? I already told your friends, so you're clear."

"Puck?"

"He's going to keep an eye on the guys until I drop you off and come back for them." He wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her down the path to his truck. Once they reached it, he opened the door for her. "I know you have trouble with this, and I don't need any of your puke in my car so I'm going to help you" he said, bending down to lift her up and into the car. He sat her down gently, wrapping the seat belt around her torso and clicking it in place. Finn walked over to his side, scooting in and cranking up the car before he drove off into the night.

"Rachel, Rach we're here."

She tried to ignore the voice in her head as she lay curled up in her seat. "Go away, I'm asleep." She heard the sound of a door opening and hoped that he had just left her to be at peace. No such luck. She felt chilly air hitting her face and arms as the door beside her opened up. "Finn stop, I'm cold" she pouted.

"Then come here, it's warm over here."

She held out her arms, allowing him to lift her out of the truck. He closed the door with his free hand, holding her to him with the other as he made his way toward the front lobby. Before they made it to the door, Finn placed her down on her feet, grabbing her shoulders to make her look at him.

"Rach, do you guys have a security guard at night?" She nodded.

"I thought so. I need you to act as sober as possible alright or the guards gonna ask questions and you might get into trouble. Breathe, I'll be right beside you."

She straightened up, taking a deep breath. Rachel reached out, hooking her elbow into his to steady her walking and ensure that she wouldn't fall as she keyed in the code to get inside. She pasted a smile on her face as they walked in, clinging to him as they made their way past the guard. He was watching something on a small television screen, barely paying them any attention as they got on the elevator to go up to her room.

She released Finn's elbow when they got inside, quickly latching onto it again when the disconcerting feeling the elevator brought made her head ache. "Yeah, maybe we should have taken the stairs" he said softly. They stepped out, Finn following behind her as she made her way to her door. She unlocked it and walked ahead inside, laying herself down on the rug next to her bed.

Finn raised an eyebrow but reached over, grabbing a pillow and the small throw from the foot of the bed to hand to her.

"You're being super nice to me all of a sudden" she said, placing the pillow under her head. "Is it because I look like a hot girl tonight?"

"You obviously haven't seen yourself very recently" he responded, walking in the direction of her bathroom. "You look like a raccoon."

She growled lowly as he disappeared into her bathroom chuckling. She wanted to argue, but after all of the sweating and the throwing up, she couldn't help but think maybe he was right. Jerk.

He returned with one of her pink tumbler cups. "Here" he said, handing her the cup as well as two small white pills. "These will make you feel better, and drink the whole cup of water, you'll need it." She nodded, popping the medicine and taking a large gulp of the water. It felt amazing going down her throat, like balm she thought as she continued to gulp. She sighed in pleasure as she brought the cup down, realizing that it was nearly empty.

"Damn, somebody was thirsty. Speaking of which, you seemed pretty cozy with Josh back at the party" he said, taking the cup from her. "When I left he told me to tell you he hoped he got to taste you again. Do I even want to know...?"

"He was one of the people that took shots off me" she giggled.

"Shit, body shots? You really did go all out tonight didn't you?"

"Didn't get pregnant though, not even close. You should be proud" she declared, bringing her hands to her still sticky stomach. "I feel gross. I should take a shower" she leaned forward, quickly losing energy and slumping back down. "But I just don't feel like it."

"I could help with that" he suggested, grinning at her. Rachel narrowed her eyes at him, she may be super drunk, and look like one of the slutty girls he was always hooking up with, but she definitely wasn't going to **be** one of them.

"Excuse me?"

"Relax, I don't mean like that. I don't usually dig on racoons" he teased, turning towards her bathroom yet again. This time he came back with her refilled cup of water, one of her washcloths, and what looked like her pack of makeup removing wipes. He was good. "I'm just going to help you clean off, don't pull your knife out on me" he grinned, setting down the cup of water. "Lean back."

She did as she was told, trusting her friend not to take advantage of her while she enjoyed the pampering. "You should feel honored, I don't typically clean girls up. I'm usually the one who gets them dirty" he said smugly, running the cloth over the skin of her collarbone and neck.

"You should feel honored I'm letting you clean me" she countered.

Finn moved his cloth down to her stomach, cleaning around her bellybutton as she smiled beneath his ministrations. "I never knew you had your belly pierced, that's a cool ring" he commented, digging his cloth in to clean around it.

"Thanks, but it's not actually mine. I borrowed it from Brittany."

"Don't you mean Brittana" he teased, reminding her of her slip earlier in the night, it seemed like ages ago now.

"Shut up. That's their names mixed together, I gave them couple names" she said, defending herself.

"I thought they were together" he said, putting down the cloth and opening the makeup removing cloths.

Rachel nodded, proud of her cover up. She may have a knack for this, so she started putting together the names of all of her friends and the relationships or friendships they had. She'd come up with Britchel, Rantana, Tike, and Finchel before she burst out laughing.

"What is it?"

"Do you know what you and Puck's combined friendship name would be?" Finn shook his head, pausing his wipe over her cheekbone. "Fuck, or 'Fuckinn"

Finn's mouth fell open as he stared at her, before he too barked out a laugh. "You're so weird." He continued to laugh, the deep timbre of his voice and the twinkle in his eyes not allowing her to get angry over the offending comment. This was their relationship; it was funny and dysfunctional and weird from the outside looking in, but it was real, and somehow it worked.

He continued to move the wipe over her face gently, and it felt like he was erasing tons of weight off of her. She felt so much better already just from the little bird bath she was receiving. It was hard to believe that Finn had never done this for anyone before, it felt natural.

"All done, your back to your hot girl status" he assessed, picking up the rag and standing. "That will be thirty dollars, unless you wanna work out another form of payment" he said, throwing her an exaggerated wink and making her burst into giggles.

"I've vomited enough of times tonight Finn, I don't need to do it again" she retorted, sticking out her tongue at him.

He laughed, carrying her cloth and the used wipes to the bathroom. "Do you want to get in bed now?"

Rachel shook her head, turning on her side and cuddling the pillow to her. "I'm fine down here." She may have felt a great deal cleaner, but she was still dirty, and smelled strongly of booze and smoke, there was no way she was getting in that bed until she had taken a proper shower.

Finn shrugged, lifting the throw beside her feet and covering her with it. "Suit yourself. Drink your water before you go to sleep, and make sure to drink plenty of it in the morning, okay?" He took a step back, grabbing the small waste basket out of her corner and bringing it to sit beside her. "Just in case you get sick again."

Rachel nodded, clutching the cup of water in her hands. "Thank you Finn."

"It was no problem Rach, you're kinda my best friend. Don't tell Puck I said that though, you know he gets jealous, he might not be 'Fuckinn' with me anymore. Shit, that didn't come out the way it was supposed to."

She giggled at his perplexed expression. It was odd to see Finn like this, not his usual smooth talking self. It was cute.

"Your secrets safe with me" she said, taking a big gulp from the water.

"Good, cause I love 'Fuckinn." And the normal Finn was back.

Rachel rolled her eyes at him, finishing off the cup of water and sitting it down on the floor. "Pig."

"Call me and let me know how you are in the morning. You're probably going to look **and** feel like death...so feel free to send pictures."

"Goodnight Finn" Rachel called, snatching one of the fallen stuffed animals from her bed to toss at him.

He dodged her throw easily, sidestepping it and rushing towards her door. "Goodnight Rachel" he said over his shoulder, shooting her his lopsided grin as he walked out the door.

She smiled to herself as she watched him leave, gripping the throw in her hands and burying herself in it. His scent lingered on the fabric and she brought it up to her nose, allowing the clean, manly scent of him drive through the slight fog her brain was still in, lulling her into sleep.

_**Thanks for reading, update coming soon!**_

_**If you haven't already, check out 'The Tether'.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the lyrics included in this story.**_

_**My updates are going to be a little slower from here on out, sorry. I blame school, work, and 'Chicago' rehearsals, but I'll be updating as often and quickly as i possibly can. Anyway, have you guys heard 'You're Mine' yet? It's magic, like really, AMAZING. What did you guys think?**_

_**"All I knew this morning when I woke, is I know something now, know something now I didn't before. And all I've seen since 18 hours ago is green eyes and freckles and your smile in the back of my mind making me feel like I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now."**_

_**-from 'Everything has Changed'**_

Rachel sat up in bed at the sound of her alarm clock, the bright smile still very present on her face. She threw her legs over the side of the bed, hopping down gently and grabbing up her things. Getting ready had become somewhat of an event for her lately, she put much more effort into her appearance than she ever used to. A few people had even commented on the slight changes; the curled hair, the trendier wardrobe (thanks to Brit and Tana) and the slightly over eager outlook. She would never admit it to anyone, but there was a very good reason for it all.

_Finn_.

She couldn't quite describe it, but somehow their relationship seemed to have changed since her first party last weekend. Maybe it was the way he'd been so sweet to her, or maybe it was the repressed feelings just finally having built up and now spilling over, but she couldn't deny that her feelings towards him had taken a huge shift. He been the star of her dreams almost every night since; holding her hand as they walked through the U.C, bending over her showing her how to shoot something, lying in his arms in her tiny bed entwined in the others arms, they were all just some of the fantasies she had been entertaining.

The only problem was, she had no idea how he felt. Sure, it seemed like she caught him staring at her frequently, and she could swear that he was flirting with her sometimes, but she just couldn't be sure. He still flocked to the windows when girls would walk by, he hadn't really made any kind of move on her either, but things just _felt _different. It was all so confusing. Brittany had told her that she should be the one to make the move, let him know how she was feeling, but she couldn't build up the nerve. Finn was gorgeous, and funny, and she knew for a fact that he could have about any girl he wanted, he just chose not to. She couldn't do something to jeopardize their friendship, especially if he really didn't feel the same way about her.

So each day was the same. She prepared herself in the morning, dressing in her cutest outfits, curling her hair to casual perfection, and applied very minimal makeup, just enough to look natural. She would go to classes, then immediately rush out and to The Playground. Even when Finn didn't have to work he was there, every time. They would shoot pool together, or Ping Pong since he'd been trying to teach her that game, and they would just hang out, flirting (she thought) perfectly blissful in their confusing relationship. It worked for her, at least for now. She didn't want to push her luck with Finn. And today would be no different, so she pulled back the shower curtain and stepped inside, eager to set off on her pattern.

* * *

"What do you mean you don't know if you're going out this weekend?" Puck cried from the other side of the table, propping himself up with his stick while Rachel knocked in the seven ball. "I wanted to party with you and your friends, I missed out last weekend."

"I wouldn't exactly call what you did 'missing out' Puck. Finn said you had quite the time with the girl you abandoned him for." She couldn't help but frown slightly as she said his name, looking around the room for him out of habit. He never missed any of their practices, but he was nowhere to be found today. She didn't ask anyone where he was, but the thought kept nagging at the back of her mind. She missed him.

"Oh yeah, damn that was a good party" he grinned with a wink. "Did Finn give you the story?"

"He spared me all of the gory details actually, he said you'd much rather enjoy telling it yourself."

"Smart man. Do you know where he is today?"

"No" she squeaked, "you haven't talked to him?"

"Nah, not today."

"Do you think I should text him? You know, let him know that the teams wondering about him" she asked quickly, taking a look around the room and Mike, Tina, Blaine and Will all playing in their own practice matches. "I should shouldn't I? Will's bound to ask about him" she finished, pulling out her phone to compose a quick message to him.

**Where are you? **

"Sure, whatever. So this chick from the party" he starts, putting down his stick as Rachel sank the eight ball in. He paused, waiting for her to give him her full attention and she rolled her eyes, putting her stick down and turning her biggest eyes on him. "Okay, so she's grinding all over me right? I mean throwing it around like she was a stripper or something. Then right there on the middle of the dance floor this chick reaches down into my pants and starts playing with _Puck Jr._ You know me, once it gets started I'm sure as hell finishing, so I picked her up and took her to one of the empty bedrooms. I tried to return the favor and stick my hand up her skirt, but she knocked my hands away and dropped down to her knees-"

"What is it with you and oral sex?" Rachel cut in, rolling her eyes. "I swear, I've heard more about the act of fellatio from you than I could've gotten from watching any amount of pornography."

"What can I say, when it's this good the ladies can't keep their lips off it" he winked. "You shouldn't be complaining, after all this knowledge I'm supplying you with you should be a pro at it when you finally get back in the sack."

Rachel simply rolled her eyes at him, doubting that would be happening any time soon.

"So anyway, she starts sucking, like a freaking vacuum cleaner. Then, she gets up and lays down on her back on the bed, telling me to fuck her mouth while she laid there. Hell yeah, right?" he added, noting her widened eyes. "So I did, skullfucked her until she started choking. I felt kinda bad so I pulled out and she flipped over on her stomach, told me to let her try it that way. Long story short, she sucked me off from about every direction and position you could even dream of, until I finally busted. Then I left."

Rachel placed a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter before she gasped. "You just left? After that, you just walked out?"

"Well yeah."

"God you're such a jerk" she scolded, shaking her head at him.

"Hey, in my defense she passed out as soon as she finished swallowing" he said, laughing at her wince.

"That's still a terrible thing to do. Finn would've-"

"Done the same damn thing whether she was awake or not, probably patted her on the head or something" he finished, turning just in time to miss Rachel's crestfallen face. "You should hear some of _his_ stories."

"You don't feel guilty about it at all?"

"Nope. See, girls know what they're asking for when they get all slutted up and go out like that. They-"

"I didn't! I dressed up slightly risque and got drunk, but I didn't have any kind of bad intentions."

"Yeah, but you're a special case, kind of like an exception. _Usually_, they wear those clothes, and the insane shoes, and they get trashed knowing good and well that some guy's going to try and get in their pants; some part of them wants it. They feel lonely, or self conscious and want to be wanted, or maybe they just like to party and fuck. It's as simple as that. So when I sneak out on a girl I'm really just playing my part in her little scheme, giving her what she needs for the night, then disappearing so she doesn't have to deal with the awkwardness or regret in the morning. I'm kind of doing her a favor."

"Wow" she said in awe of the logic behind his explanation, it made more sense than she wanted to admit. It was still wrong though.

"You'll think a little differently of the whole 'sneaking out' thing now huh?"

Rachel shrugged as her phone beeped and she looked down to find a text from Finn. Hopefully, the smile stretching across her face wouldn't give her away.

**I'm covering at the shop for my step-dad. Why, miss me? **

"So Finn's just as bad as you are huh?" she asked, feigning nonchalance. "He never tells me any of his whore stories" she said, typing back her reply.

**Puck did. I didn't think he was going to make it through practice without you, poor guy. I don't know why.**

"God, he wouldn't have the time to enlighten you" Puck chuckled before turning his eyes on her. "I'm just kidding really, he's not that bad, I mean it's not like he's a walking STD or anything, we're both always careful. He just doesn't believe in keeping strings, so once he's in, he's out. I don't think I've known him to go back for seconds in three years" Puck said thoughtfully. "I don't really blame him though, dude's took a lot of shit from women in the past, he knows his limits."

"What do you mean?" she pressed, more than eager to find out about Finn's shady past.

"_Okay guys, huddle up_" Will called from the next table, waving his hands for the group to gather round. She sighed as Puck walked away, shrugging his shoulders. She picked up her stick hanging it back up in it's place on the wall as she checked her phone again.

**Cause he had to deal with you alone :P Is practice over?**

Rachel scowled as she typed back a quick yes, feeling Will's eyes on her. She stuck the phone into her back pocket as she made her way over to the group.

"Good work today guys, I gotta say you've all come a long way and I'm proud of you" he said, reaching out to place a hand on Tina's shoulder. But we've got to get even better. December isn't too far in the future, I want you guys to be well prepared for it." Rachel beamed at her teammates, seeing the excitement register on their faces as well. She couldn't believe they would be going to their first big tournament so soon. They really had all been working hard though, she knew they would be ready. "So from now on, I want you guys in here as often as possible, practicing until your arms fall off and crawl away" he joked. "No, but seriously, we need to take this serious. This could be a big thing for us if we place, some of us could even make it to Nationals, so keep that in mind alright?"

They all nodded eagerly as he clapped Blaine on the shoulder as well, calling the practice to an end. She pulled out her phone, opening her new message.

**Tell Puck to bring you to the shop, I want you both to see my new toys **

She lifted an eyebrow, but nonetheless took off to grab Puck. "Hey! What are you about to do?"

"Shoot a few more games I guess. Why? Did you want to put your fellatio knowledge to the test?" he teased, making her roll her eyes.

"I'll pass. Finally heard from Finn, he wants us to come by the shop. He says he has new toys to show us."

"_That's_ where he's been. Well it's about time!" Puck said, pulling his keys off of the table. "You ready?"

"What is the toy?"

"You'll see. It's going to be a lot of fun."

She couldn't resist the carefree smile on her friends face anymore than she could resist the chance to see Finn. "Let's go" she said, typing again.

**We're on our way.**

* * *

"This is the shop" Rachel asked as they pulled up to a large building, seated in what looked like the middle of nowhere. There were stretches of wide open land surrounding the shop and what looked like trails going into the woods not far away, disappearing. She had never felt more like she was really in the country, not even when they stopped by the pond to fish sometimes.

"Yepp, and those would be the toys" Puck answered, pulling up into a space directly in front of the building. She followed his gazing, finding two large four wheelers sitting across from them.

"Whoa..." she whispered, almost bouncing in her seat from the excitement. She had definitely never been on one of those before. Motorcycles had always seemed scary to her, she would never dream of riding one of those. But this, this she could definitely handle, especially if Finn was her driver.

Right on cue he walked out the side door of the shop, a pair of goggles in his hand. He was wearing a black tee shirt, old holey jeans, boots, a thick camoflouge jacket, and his usual heart melting smile. He could've easily posed as the 'hot country boy' in any magazine. "Check it out dude" he called to Puck, running his hand over the closest mobile. "The last piece finally came in."

"Did you assemble this?" Rachel asked finally, taking a step closer to inspect the red four wheeler as well.

"Not really. It started messing up last year so me and my step-dad have been working on it together, fixing it up" he told her.

"That's sweet."

"Not as sweet as its gonna be to finally get to ride it again" Puck cried, opening his door and pulling a pair of goggles like Finn's from the back of his car.

"Do you wanna ride Rach?" Finn asked, looking down at her.

"Heck yes I want to ride!" she squealed, clapping her hands excitedly. "Let's go!"

Finn chuckled at her as he slid the goggles onto his face. "This is going to be another first for you isn't it?" She nodded excitedly at him. "I thought so. We need to get you some goggles" he said, motioning for her to follow him into the shop.

He walked around, checking in some drawer while she stood patiently waiting. When he came back, he didn't have goggles, but he had a pair of sunglasses. "I don't have anymore goggles, but you can wear my shades. They'll be just as good to protect your eyes."

"Thank you" she said, taking the shades from his hand and sliding them into place. "I'll look much cuter anyway, without those big bulky goggles."

"Oh yeah, and you'll look super hot when the bugs start sticking to your mouth" he added seriously, turning his back to her and walking out of the shop.

"What?!"

"Joking Rach" he laughed. "Do you wanna ride with me, or with Puck?" he asked, stepping up the red mobile while Puck stood by the black one, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Um, I'll ride with you" she answered, looking down at her feet so that he couldn't see her blush. "No offense Puck" she added, grinning up at him as she threw his line from last weekend back at him.

"None taken. I'm a lot rougher to ride than Hudson over there anyway" he added with a devilish smirk while Finn flipped him the bird. Puck laughed out loud, sliding the goggles down onto his face. "See you suckers!" he called, started up the engine with a roar and speeding off down the dirt road.

Finn stepped onto the four wheeler easily, then reached out a hand for Rachel. She took it and threw her let over the seat, straddling him from behind. "Hold on tight Rach" he instructed. "The wind is gonna get kinda cold hitting you, so-" he paused, looking back to find her bare armed. He jumped down from the mobile, rushing off towards the shop quickly returning with one of this hoodies. "Put this on. I know it's not really cold now, but once we get in the woods and the air is whipping at you, you'll wish you had it on."

She tried her hardest not to blush or grin like an idiot as she slipped the jacket over her. It completely swallowed her, but she wasn't going to complain about that. It was soft, and warm, and it smelled just like Finn. She was in Finn heaven.

He gave her a lopsided grin before pulling himself back onto the four wheeler to sit in front of her. "I felt you staring at my ass perv" he commented slyly as he started up the engine. The loud roar and shaking of the mobile beneath her stopped her before she could retaliate. "Hold on tight Rachel" he instructed again, looking back at her. She scooted closer to him, sticking her hands into the pockets of his jacket to hold on and keep her hands covered. She was so thankful that he couldn't see her face, because she knew her beaming smile and blush would definitely give her away.

The motor purred beneath them, and suddenly they shot forward. She squealed in delight into his back, balling her hands into fists inside his pockets. Feeling bold, she opened her eyes, peeking over his shoulder to watch as they rode. They weren't actually going as fast as she thought they were, but it was fast enough. The shop was disappearing behind them steadily as they traveled one of the dirt roads. She beamed as they rode, looking down in front of Finn at the speedometer. They were only going 20 so far, and she wanted more. "Go faster Finn" she said loudly into his ear, squeezing him around the middle. She saw his smile widen, and immediately felt them start to accelerate. She laughed out loud, watching the wind blow through Finn's already wild hair.

They flew down the dirt road, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene. It was exhilarating riding so fast, feeling the wind slapping her from the sides, squeezing him tight when he would make a turn. She could hear his own deep laughter bubbling up from in front of her, and that in itself made the experience even better.

They rode and rode, traveling down the long dirt road, following a path through the woods. The trees were gorgeous; it was fall now and they were all the orange and red color, leaves fallen everywhere, the rustic scene was the picture of beauty as they flew through it. Finally when they cleared the forest, entering another wide open stretch, Finn brought the four wheeler to a stop and cut off.

"What are you doing" she cried, confused when he reached in to remove her hands from his pockets. When he'd pulled them out, he lifted himself off and stood beside her, his head still a few inches above hers.

"I have to pee" he stated casually, walking off towards one of the trees in the distance.

"Really Finn? Eww" she said, rolling her eyes at him.

"Nature calls. Don't peek perv" he called, disappearing behind the tree. She turned away from him, trying to ignore any sounds coming from his direction. Finally he returned, walking straight up to her and cupping her face with his wet hand. She almost smiled, shocked at the intimate gesture until she realized, it was his _wet_ hand.

"Eww, gross!" she screeched, leaning away from him as she slapped at him.

"Ewww you're nasty, you got pee all over your face" he called, laughing out loud at her. She was about ready to punch him, when he held up the tiny bottle of hand sanitizer. Jerk. "It's just hand sanitizer, you make it too easy" he laughed, drying the excess hand sanitizer off of his hands.

"I don't know why I still hang out with you, you're such a pain." she chided, crossing her arms.

"Cause you love me" he grinned, tickling her sides. "Now come on, I'm gonna make it up to you" he announced, placing his hand at the small of her back, setting her skin on fire yet again. He really must be some sort of witch or something, it just wasn't normal to have this kind of reaction to a person. She had literally been ready to kill him just two seconds ago.

"Do you want to drive?" She choked on her air for a second, shocked at his idea. He teased her on a regular basis for not being a good driver ever since he found out her dads wouldn't let her bring her car on campus because she didn't exactly have the best track record, yet here he was about to let her drive his four wheeler. She nodded wordlessly, giving him a megawatt smile as he pushed her forward until she was seated right in front of the handle bars.

"I'm going to help you to start" he said, placing his hands over hers on the steering wheel. "Don't start off too fast, gradually accelerate, alright? Keep a tight hold on the bars, this is the brake" he instructed, pointing to it. She took a deep breath as she absorbed the information, her heart racing. "Just relax, I'm right behind you" he said, lowering his hands to wrap around her waist. "Whenever you're ready, go."

She nodded to herself, starting up the motor. She jumped a little, and heard him chuckling behind her, so she took a deep breath and pushed the gas. The mobile jumped forward, moving them down the road. "I'm doing it!" she cried to the air, not about to turn her head away from the road in front of her. She didn't want to mess this up.

She maintained her steady, slightly slow pace, driving them around the open field until Finn leaned into her ear. "You got it, go faster Rach." She applied more pressure to the gas, shooting them forward even faster, her heart pounding in her ears. This was beyond fun. She laughed out loud as she applied more pressure, then more, laughing maniacally as they flew down the road. She drove them in circles, all over the open land, only stopping to catch her breath.

Rachel brought the four wheeler to a stop, shutting off the motor at the edge of the open field. "That was amazing" she cried, swinging her body around to look at Finn. His long arms, folded around her waist never even moved as she turned.

"I know, you actually did really good. I'm proud" he said, patting at imaginary tears.

"I can't believe you let me drive" she continued, not allowing him to damper her excitement.

"I know, I must be crazy."

"Nope, you just love me" she teased with an exaggerated smile, throwing his words back at him.

"I love my Mom and my Grandma, that's it for me when it comes to women" he answered immediately, unwrapping his arms and flicking her on the nose. "But you're like, my favorite girl if that counts."

"Why do you say things like that?"

"Cause it's true."

"Did you have an extremely horrendous ex or something?"

"Try a couple of them" he answered, stretching out his hands to pop his knuckles. "Let's see, I had two girlfriends in high school, and both of them cheated on me. One of them got pregnant and tried to push it off on me, lied to my face and made me feel guilty for weeks until I found out the truth. The next one, I even gave a second chance after she cheated, then what do you know, she did it again. After that I lost my V card to one of the cheerleaders, which was admittedly pretty awesome, but it turned out she was just using me to push herself up on the squad. After that, I've just kind of said screw 'em all, you know?" he finished, shrugging his shoulders. "I always seemed to get the short end of the stick, but not anymore, I control the situation."

Rachel stared at him as his words attacked her ears. She could hear the ancient pain behind his words, see the scars in his eyes as he reflected about his past. She couldn't be for certain, but it didn't seem like he talked about this very often. "I'm so sorry Finn, that all sounds so terrible."

"Yep" was his eloquent reply as he stepped down from the four wheeler. "I'll drive us back."

"You know, all women aren't like that though, you shouldn't hold it against them all" she said gently, scooting back into her original seat as he stared out at the land.

"Yeah, well I've seen enough to be pretty confident in my assessment" he retorted. "Why are we even talking about this? My love life doesn't matter, we should be talking about yours. Heard from Josh lately?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow at her.

She didn't want the conversation to end there, but she knew Finn, she knew she couldn't push him on the matter, she would never get anywhere. "The guy from the party?"

"Yeah, you know, the one that said you tasted so good" he crooned, licking his lips at her.

"Oh God, I'd almost forgotten about that. I'll probably never see him again" Rachel said, rolling her eyes as Finn stepped back up onto the mobile, seating himself between her thighs.

"Do you have any plans for this weekend" he asked suddenly, peering at her over his shoulder.

"Um, no I don't think so." Well, not going home again this weekend. She was going to forget what her dads looked like. Oh well, at least she had Skype.

"Do you know what this weekend is?"

"Oh!" she cried as the realization hit her. "You cross into the Fraternity this weekend" she recited, proud of herself for remembering his exciting event.

"Yep, and we're throwing a party. You should come."

"I don't know...I'll think about it" she teased, knowing that as soon as she got to her dorm she was going straight to Brittany and Tana for a shopping trip.

"Josh will be there" he added, grinning at her.

"Oh well in that case" she smiled, rolling her eyes at him. "You know, you still haven't told me if you're going to come to my acting recital at the end of the semester, I need a cheering section" she told him, giving him the eye as he rolled his.

"Raaaach, theater shit is boring, you can't make me go to that. I don't care about Shakespeare and all that stuff."

"One, I should chop you in the throat for that asinine statement, Theater is wonderfully entertaining. And two, we're not doing _Shakespeare and stuff_, we get to choose out own monologues to showcase."

"Really?"

"Yes, and I can assure you that all of my pieces will be modern when I decide on my theme."

"What do you mean?"

"We choose a major theme, and all of the monologues that we select will correspond to it somehow."

"Oh, oh okay" he said, nodding his head. "You should pick insanity, you could definitely pull that off" he suggested, arching his back as she shot her tiny fist into it. "My point exactly."

"Jerk, I take it back, you're UN-invited to my recital. It's okay, Puck will come, I like him better than you anyway" she shot at him, sticking out her tongue.

"Ouch Rach, right in the heart" he said, raising his hand to the affected area. "I tell you what, you come to my crossing party, and I'll go to your little showcase recital thing. Deal" he asked, turning in his seat to stick his hand out to her.

"Deal" she answered, taking the hand, letting the warmth of it seep into her, making her whole arm tingle.

"Cool." He gave her a dazzling smile, making other parts of her body tingle as well. "Now, let's get you back to your precious Puck" he said, turning around and starting up the motor once again. She stuck her hands into his pockets, leaning her face against his back, completely content to rest it there as she watched the world zoom around her. Her face seemed to fit perfectly into the dip between his shoulders perfectly anyway.

She tightened her arms around his middle as he sped up, smiling into his jacket. She could only dream of what this party would be like the coming weekend, it might be start of something new for the both of them.

_**Thanks for reading! I hope you are still enjoying**, **we've still got quite a way to go!**_

_**In the words of another author who's story I recently read, 'Reviews are like orgasms, you can never have too many!' :)**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the lyrics included in this story. **_

_**"I finally asked you to dance on the last slow song, beneath that moon that was really a disco ball. I can still feel my head on your shoulder, and hoping that song would never be over...For me you'll always be eighteen and beautiful, and dancing away with my heart."**_

_**-from 'Dancing away with my Heart'**_

"How do I look? Do I look okay?"

"Rachel you look-"

"I look like a slut don't I? Do I look like I'm trying too hard?" she ranted, tugging down on the hem of her shorts in the mirror. "Wait, this is a Frat party, everyone will look like a slut right? No, I don't _want_ to look like a slut...do I? God, why is this so frustrating!" Rachel groaned, throwing herself backwards on Brittany's bed.

"Rachel, you're making Lord Tubbington nervous" Brittany scolded, cuddling the over-sized cat close to her. "You look super hot."

"I don't know if I want to look super hot" she whined, lifting herself up on her elbows. "I mean, I do, but I don't just want to look hot you know? I want to be, different, beautiful. I want to stand out, but in a good way."

"I think you're beautiful. Santana and me wouldn't try to get ugly people to join in our lady kisses, so you can trust me. You're beautiful, and you have a super rocking body, and you smell really nice. If Finn doesn't know all that by now then he's an idiot. I say that with all the kindness in the world, I don't believe in bullying. And you aren't a slut, that's obvious to anyone who pays the least bit of attention, you're actually kind of a prude."

"What?"

"All the kindness in the world" Brittany continued, walking over to Rachel and reaching out a hand to lift her up.

She relented, letting the girl lift her into a standing position. She couldn't resist grinning at the blonde's eager smile, she had good intentions. Also, Brittany was really all she had tonight. Santana couldn't make it to the party because of work, and there was no way Rachel was going alone. Sure, Finn and Puck would both be there, but she wasn't foolish enough to think they would stick by her the whole night. They were crossing into a Fraternity for crying out loud, she was slightly afraid of what she would see from the both of them when she got there. She was no stranger to the life they lived, the way they went through women, she felt like a bit of a masochist even coming considering her growing affections for Finn. But, he had invited her for a reason right? She had to go.

"You're sure I look okay?" she pressed, looking over her frame in the mirror. Brittany had gotten her into a tight fitting pair of jean shorts, a hot pink quarter sleeve top with a diving neck, and cute strappy sandals. It wasn't exactly a far cry from last weekend, they had picked out the clothes and shoes, done their make up and hair, but this time there was no alcohol involved. Rachel was sure she would never forget the hangover that she had suffered through the last time, she had no intentions of repeating that.

"I'm positive" Brittany assured her, giving her a slap to the behind. "You really do like this guy don't you?"

"Is it that obvious?" she asked, toying with her hands to avoid eye contact. She hadn't talked much about her feelings with her friends, mostly because she knew Santana would never let her hear the end of it. Brittany though, wasn't as bad.

"You usually do a good job of hiding it."

"Thanks. It's...complicated."

"Do you think he likes you back?"

"I have no idea" Rachel sighed, offering her friend a small smile. "We're going to be late, shall we?" she asked, curling her arm through her friends, making their way out of the small dorm room.

* * *

Rachel walked up to the front door of McKinley's, a small night club about fifteen minutes from the campus. She could already tell from the small group of boys standing around the entrance, shamelessly undressing them with their eyes that this was going to be an interesting night. Wordlessly she linked pinkies with Brittany, avoiding giving any attention to the boys as they walked inside.

The small building was a restaurant during the day, a nice one, but you couldn't really tell it now. Rachel looked past the swarmed bar to see a small waterfall at the very back of the crowded dance floor, beside the DJ station. Off to the side was a spiral staircase, leading up to a second floor, looking up she could see that it too was crowded with people, dancing and making out everywhere she could see.

The most dominant detail in the room though, was the color scheme. Everywhere she looked, she saw black and white. Those must be the Fraternity colors or something. Should she have worn black and white in support? She didn't get that memo. She looked around her, spotting girls in multicolored dresses and skirts (much more provocative than what she was wearing too) and didn't feel quite as bad. She wondered if she had worn something like the 'barely covering her vag' dress like the blonde across from her, that Finn would flock to her then.

She turned her head from the woman, scanning the room for either one of her friends, coming up unsuccessful. Rachel wasn't really surprised, the place was packed out even worse than the party she had been too last, but she still felt a bit deflated. She wanted to see Finn dangitt.

"Let's dance" Brittany called over the music, leading Rachel by the hand onto the floor.

"Don't you want to um, get someone to buy you a drink or something?" she tried, knowing that if there was one place she _wasn't_ going to find Finn, it was on the dance floor. He _hated_ to dance, he'd spent a good deal of time complaining to Puck and herself that the party was a dance party and not an orgy. She hoped he'd been joking about that.

Of course, none of this mattered to Brittany. She continued to tug Rachel until they found a spot on the floor. Immediately the blonde girl started to move her body to the song, jumping in like she had been present on the dance floor for hours. She couldn't ignore the enthusiasm from her friend and quickly got swept up into the dance with her, resting her arms on Brittany's shoulders as they swayed and rocked together.

They had only been dancing for two songs when Rachel felt eyes boring into her. It wasn't exactly logical, feeling someone watching you, and it made even less sense how as soon as she felt it she knew exactly who the gaze belonged to. She turned her head to the left, and smiled wide as she finally spotted him.

Finn was standing a few feet from the bar dressed in a pair of black slacks, a plain black button up shirt, and a bright white tie. It was odd to see him so well put together, he looked almost, _dashing_. He held a beer bottle in his hand, bringing it to his lips swiftly as he stared at her. He hadn't met her eyes yet, he was clearly focused on the way that her body was moving. She grinned to herself as she realized that he had never seen this side of her before. Well, she was nothing if not an entertainer, so she was coming to learn.

She averted her eyes from him, turning back to Brittany with a smirk. The girl gave her a questioning look until Rachel finally mouthed _I found him_. Nodding, she immediately smiled back. Rachel reached up to thread her fingers through her hair as she moved, putting on a show for him from where he stood. She could still feel his gaze on her, if anything it felt even stronger and pushed her on. The song soon changed to a fast one with a strong beat that she heard coming from Brittany's room often. She dropped down quickly, rolling her body back up in time to the music, to find an impressed Brittany. Both girls giggled, linking hands and moving together to the song until Rachel chanced a look up, finding Finn, still not having moved from his spot. This time he met eyes with her, his eyes smoldering at her even from the distance. The mouth watering smile lifted up his face as he continued to stare at her.

She had caught him staring, and he wasn't even trying to hide it. Yes!

She didn't turn either, deciding that if he felt bold enough to maintain the connection then she should as well. She almost stopped breathing as he tossed his bottle in the trash can, making his way toward her. She tried to stop the smile from taking over her whole face, that wouldn't be smooth at all. Knowing she was going to fail, she looked over at Brittany.

"Hey ladies" he said, capturing her attention yet again, his smile still perfectly in place.

"Finn? Is that you?" she asked, giving him an exaggerated once over. "You clean up nice."

"Well you know, I try." He stuck his chin up, giving himself an air of obnoxiousness, making her giggle.

"Bighead. Why aren't you dancing?" she asked, knowing the answer but dying to keep up the conversation.

"You know I don't dance. But apparently _you_ do...you two are killing it out here" he said, subtly raking his eyes over her still rocking hips, not even looking at Brittany. Good boy.

"It's fun, you should give it a try" she suggested, turning to 'back it up on him' playfully. He laughed as she bumped her hips back into him, but not joining in.

"I think I'll just keep watching."

She shrugged, trying not to be put down by his lack of cooperation. "Suit yourself" she called, turning instead to roll her hips back into Brittany. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as they moved together, watching him watching them. Soon, she started to notice the eyes around them, watching them. They really must be doing something right, the longer they continued, the larger their audience seemed to grow.

Eventually, and honestly she was surprised it had taken so long, two of the boys approached them. They had every intention of making a Britchel sandwich as they closed around the two girls, trying to include themselves in their dance. The girls shook their heads no, signaling that they didn't want any extra partners, and she thought she saw Finn smile. It worked on the first two, but the boys just kept coming, hoping they would be the lucky ones to get to join them. She smiled over her shoulder at Finn as the next boys walked away, not missing the tight set of his jaw.

As the next song started, the next two guys started to approach them. Before she could even paste on her 'sorry, no thanks' smile, she turned to find Finn behind her, nodding at the boys as he stepped in to block them. She choked out a half laugh, half gasp as she felt him place his hands at her hips, still not moving his body.

"I figured I should help, they're never going to stop" he said in way of explanation, rubbing the back of his neck. It was a nervous tick she had never noticed, Finn was never nervous. He positioned himself comfortably between the two girls, effectively making a Finn sandwich out of himself.

Rachel was too shocked to say anything, so she simply nodded, noting Brittany's wink. She laughed out loud as his eyebrows shot into his forehead, the result of Brittany grinding behind him. "Booty work, make that booty work!" she called into his ear, quoting the song as she placed her hands at his sides, helping him to move. His face was so red, Rachel couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips, covering her hand with her mouth as she turned her head.

"That means you too" he breathed into her ear, sending goosebumps down her skin as he tightened his hands on her hips. She in turn reached behind her, placing her hands over Brittany's on his sides as to keep track of the rhythm as they all danced (or what would have to pass as dancing for him).

The people around them, not dancing, didn't try to hide their jealousy as they watched him dancing between them. She smiled, content with the fact that his hands remained anchored on her, never once reaching back to hold Brittany. It made her feel special, knowing that he had come to dance with her when it was something he never did. True, he wasn't _only_ dancing with her, but still, it was something. She hadn't even noticed him eyeballing the other scantily clad girls at the party, though they had certainly been noticing him. He _appeared_ to only have eyes for her, and whether that was him being a good friend, or something else, she intended to make the most of it.

She turned herself around in his arms, looping her arms around his neck as she faced him. "Hi" she said, straddling his thigh between her legs as she ground herself against him. "Having fun?" she asked nonchalantly, reaching out to play with his tie. He only nodded, and she smiled smugly to herself as she watched him gulp. This night was definitely a success so far. "And you said you don't dance" she said playfully, still twisting the white tie between her fingers as she felt his hands slip a little farther, grazing the top of her behind.

"I don't, who knew I would be so good" he joked, rocking his hips from side to side in a safe rhythm. They danced for what seemed like hours, but at the same time didn't feel long enough at all. He stayed glued to her the entire time, as did the wide smile on her face. She giggled when he tried to switch things up and throw his own rhythm into the dance, or playfully thrust against her hips with a funny face. It was so comfortable being with him like this, feeling his arms around her, it felt like home. Suddenly the song changed, a slower, more sensual song taking its place.

"Oh this is my stripper song!" Brittany cheered. Rachel saw her friend wink over Finn's shoulder at her before she gripped Finn's shoulders tightly and smacked his behind. His eyes went wide before her, and she looked over at Brittany again in a panic. She wasn't supposed to be doing this, he was her crush, she was supposed to be the one making moves! Brittany squinted her eyes at Rachel, nodding her head in a 'get to work' motion. "Don't you just_ love_ this song Rachel?"

_Oh. _Brittany was a genius.

She nodded excitedly, winking at Finn as she moved herself against him. "You're always teaching me things, allow me to show you my skills" she said, spinning in his arms, dropping down and sliding herself up his front as seductively as possible. She rolled her hips against his groin, holding his hands over her waist as she continued to dance and press against him. He had given up even moving this time as both girls moved in different rhythms around him, opting to just enjoy the feeling. Hopefully enjoy the feeling of _her_. She reached up behind her on a whim of bravery, wrapping one of her arms around his neck as she ground harder against him. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized for one that Brittany was no longer dancing with them, but now standing back watching, and two; just how little of a barrier those slacks were between she and Finn. She didn't want to be a perv, like he always called her, but she was pretty sure that was _Little Finn_, well maybe not _little,_ she was now grinding against. She blinked, using her other hand to pull his hips closer to her, trying to make sure without letting him know what she was up to, and sure enough, she felt it.

He was hard, for her.

She couldn't stop the proud smile that stretched her face as she poured even more of herself into her seduction of him. She wondered if he even realized he was hard, or if it was just his body's natural reaction to their dancing. She could imagine that it would be a bit of a turn on to be sandwiched between two attractive young women to begin with, but for some reason she felt like that wasn't just it. The chemistry danced between them, connecting them somehow, it scared and comforted her at the same time how strong it was. His breath fanned across her collarbone, his arm tightening around her middle as she danced against him, the air crackling around them. Just as she turned around to, well, she wasn't really sure what, he released her, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants.

"I um, need another drink, do you want anything?" She shook her head no, breathless. "Right, I'll be right back" he nodded, taking a step away from her. She felt her face fall until he turned back with a small grin, "don't let anyone take my spot."

She tried to control her excitement until he turned, immediately spinning to face a beaming Brittany. "I think he likes you" Brittany sang, grasping Rachel's shoulders. "He's a horrible dancer, we need to work on that, but I think we hid him pretty well" she continued, making Rachel roll her eyes.

"Do you really think he does? Britt, I could feel-" she said, being interrupted as she was lifted into the air by the waist. She couldn't see who was behind her, but she knew it wasn't Finn, she could see him at the bar. She didn't panic either though, because Brittany didn't look worried. She did however, when she felt herself and her captor start to fall backwards. She was helpless to the fall as it happened, but luckily the person behind her cushioned the fall.

As she pulled herself up, she heard a familiar laugh rumbling beside her and turned to find Puck. He was laughing uncontrollably, dressed in exactly the same attire as Finn, but with a lipstick stained collar, and glazed over eyes. He was definitely wasted.

"Rachel! You didn't have to tackle me, I just wanted a hug" he laughed, accepting her hand as she helped him up.

"How much have you had to drink" she asked, trying to hold him steady as he swayed in place. Is this what she had been like last weekend? God, this was embarrassing.

"Free pitchers for new brothers" he recited, hiccuping slightly.

"Of course. Did you drive here?" He shook his head, pointing behind her. She turned to follow his gaze, finding Finn returning to them.

"He's shitfaced isn't he?" he asked with a smirk, shaking his head at his best friend.

"I feel good man. The night's still young, let's party and get laid" he cheered, pumping his fist in the air. Rachel's stomach clenched at his words, she hadn't really thought about what would happen when the party was over. Finn might very well have plans for after, she knew that he wasn't going home with her or anything. Her smile faltered as the thoughts caught up to her.

"The only laid you're getting, is laid in your bed with some Aleve at the apartment" Finn replied, reaching out to take his friends elbow. He turned to Rachel, an apology in his eyes. "I should probably get him home" he said, holding Puck in place by the elbow as he tried to reach a pretty red head dancing a few feet away.

Rachel nodded, looking down at her watch. "It's getting late anyway, the party is probably about to end, it's almost two."

"Right, shit, I didn't even realize. Time just flew didn't it" he said, his eyes boring down into hers as he spoke. "Well, um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, or Monday or something" he finished, giving her his trademark smile as he turned away.

"I had a good time" she blurted, taking a step closer to him. "Thank you for inviting me, and dancing with me." She took a deep breath and leaned forward, gripping his wrist as she stretched on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Anytime" he said lowly, his eyes sparkling at her as she pulled back and gave his hand a squeeze.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?"

Finn rolled his eyes and nodded at her. "Yes mom."

"Good. You take good care of him, get him home, the both of you" she lectured, a little more seriousness in her directions than he probably realized. She wanted to add 'alone' but she figured that would be pushing it.

"Ma'am yes ma'am" he mock saluted, gripping Puck's arm and turning to leave finally. "Goodnight Rachel" he called as he walked away.

Rachel smiled as she watched him retreat, she found herself doing that a lot. He always left her wanting more. She rolled her eyes at the cliche and turned back to her amazingly silent friend, grinning from ear to ear.

"He definitely likes you."

_**Thanks for the read, hope you're enjoying!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee, or any of the many lyrics in this story; only the plot and words. **_

_**"I run my fingers through your hair and watch the lights go wild. Just keep on keeping your eyes on me, it's just wrong enough to make it feel right...I'm captivated by you baby, like a firework show."  
**_

_**-from 'Sparks Fly'**_

_**This was originally going to be one chapter, but it just got SO long that I had to break it down into two. I'll post the first part now, and the second should be up very soon. Because I'm impatient, and love you all, I don't want to wait until the other chapter is typed before I can update. So, enjoy!  
**_

"Let me get this straight. You're going swimming...in November" Santana asked, smirking as she stared at Rachel.

"It's an indoor pool, and it's heated. It's not as ridiculous as it sounds" she defended. "We've been talking about going for a while, but never got around to it. Now we are."

Honestly, it sounded pretty ridiculous to Rachel too, but there was no way she was passing up _any_ opportunity to spend time with Finn. Since his crossing party, she had been expecting things to change, at least a little; they hadn't. She had only seen him once since in the few days since, and that was at the group practice on Tuesday. She was starting to wonder if she had imagined what she felt that night, if the party atmosphere and her increasingly intense crush on him had tricked her somehow. All she knew was, she couldn't stop thinking about him; the way he felt holding her, the burn of his eyes staying trained on her, the scent of his cologne, his lopsided smile, she was a total goner.

"The Frat boy sure is good at getting his way with you, huh" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"He does not _get his way_ with me Santana. We're friends, we _agree_ to do things."

"Sure Rachel, whatever. How long do you think it'll be before you" she paused, making a circle with one hand then proceeding to poke the pointer finger of her other hand through it, moaning all the while.

"Santana" Rachel sighed, blushing as she held onto her old pink one piece bathing suit.

"I'm just saying, the dude obviously wants to screw you and I'm pretty sure you want it, so I'm a little confused as to why you're choosing to wear that" Santana said, her lip curling with distaste as she stared at the bathing suit. "You have a smoking body under that monstrosity of a wardrobe, you should show it off."

"You really think so?"

"Yes. I'm a lesbian, I notice these things and I'm sure your giant friend has too."

"No, I mean, do you really think he wants to...you know, do _that_ with me?" she asked, looking down at her flip flop-clad feet.

"Judging by the way he was eye-raping you when I met him, and the things Brittany told me about the party, I would say yes."

"What would you do?" Rachel questioned, loosening her hold on the suit and noticing Santana's sigh of relief. "We've always been just friends, and now I have this huge crush on him, what if I'm wrong about the attraction?"

"Rachel, I think you've brought him out of his comfort zone. He's not used to seeing the sexy, flirty side of you, and now that he's seeing it, it's throwing him off. He might be in the same boat as you right now."

"Dr. Phil says progress can only happen when you get out of your comfort zone" Brittany piped in, finally coming out of the shower. "And he's right about everything."

"Thanks Brit, I'll keep that in mind" Rachel smiled.

"I think if you want something, you should go for it" Santana finished, smiling fondly at Brittany. "If I hadn't made the first move, I would've never found out Brittany felt the same as me, and we wouldn't be here now. You never know unless you try" she shrugged, snatching the suit from Rachel and tossing it.

She was absolutely right. "Do you have a two piece I could borrow?"

* * *

Rachel took a deep breath as she exited the girls locker room, holding the towel tightly around herself. The spacious, white room held two industrial sized pools, one showing that it was 12' deep with a diving board, and a high dive. She made a mental note to avoid that one, knowing that she wasn't a good swimmer, so that would be a death trap. She instead passed that one, in favor of the 3-5 foot pool beside it. She noticed that there wasn't anyone else in there, unless you counted the lifeguard sitting in the office in the far corner. She wasn't surprised, not many people found it very plausible to go swimming in November. Just as she sat down at the bench in front of the pool, placing her bag down next to her, she saw Finn coming up from the locker room.

He wasn't quite as modest as she was, clad in an aqua blue pair of swim trunks, his towel casually draped over one shoulder. She couldn't drag her eyes away from him. His muscular calves, the way the trunks sat on his hips. He wasn't overly muscular, he was toned, and his stomach had just enough roundness to be endearing.

"My eyes are up here" he called, pointing to them with a smirk. He approached her and laid his own bag and towel down beside her. "You ready to dive in midget?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, standing from her seat. She reached for the towel when he turned his back, unwrapping it from her body and folding it to lay next to his. When she turned back around, expecting to find him in the pool, he was frozen at the edge, staring at her. Or more accurately, at her body.

"My eyes are up here" she quoted back teasingly as she brushed past him to get into the pool. Her cool facade was ruined when she dropped into the water, it was like ice. "Ah!" she screeched, hopping back up out of the pool.

"Cold?"

"Freezing" she answered, her former flirtation dropped as she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "I thought you said it was heated!"

"It is, you're just being a baby. That one might be warmer, we could try it first" he said, pointing to the death pool.

"Oh no, I'm not getting in that pool. I can't swim."

"What? Why would you come swimming if you can't?"

"I can float, and _kind of_ doggy paddle" she defended, uncrossing her arms and watching as his eyes automatically flew to her breasts.

"Let's see" he grinned, grabbing her up by the waist and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Finn, don't you dare!" she squealed, knowing her fighting was useless as soon as he bent down to sit on the edge. He slid in effortlessly, sliding her down from his shoulder and holding her in place in the water. She thrashed around as the cold temperature hit her skin, growling since he was holding her arms down, stopping her from being able to fight him. Luckily, his close proximity meant that his body heat was soaking into her, so that helped. Just about a minute of the torture and she was finally at a comfortable temperature.

"Still cold" he asked, releasing her finally.

"I don't know, you tell me" she shot back, splashing water into his face. She giggled at his surprised expression as she started to move away from him. She really couldn't swim, so she was thankful the pool was shallow enough that she could bounce away in the water. His chuckle behind her let her know that he was making fun of her way of escape, but she didn't care as long as she got away. Until she reached the head was dangerously low, the water brushing against her nose as she reached the center of the pool, that being where it turned to 5 feet. She turned around quickly to find Finn hot on her heels, gliding effortlessly through the water.

Of course he would be an excellent swimmer too.

"Truce" she offered, giving him an apologetic smile. There was no way she could get away now.

"What's wrong midget" he asked stepping into the center, smirking at her when the water barely reached his shoulders. He reached for her, eyes locked on her like a hunter on its prey. He tried to pull her into the deep water and she scrambled to hold onto the side wall of the pool.

"Wouldn't you rather teach me how to swim?"

"Nope, this will be way more fun."

She bounced backwards as he advanced towards her, then she noticed the basketball goal at the opposite end of the pool. "If you keep attacking me, I can't show you my basketball skills" she said, nodding her head towards it. Finn followed her gaze, then looked back at her with a questioning brow.

"Your basketball skills? You're joking right?"

"Absolutely not. I'm really good."

"Well, last time you said you were going to show me your skills you meant it, so I guess I believe you" he commented, setting her cheeks aflame.

"Right, well, I plan to deliver this time too. As long as you know, I don't die trying to get to the other end" she said pointedly, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Fine, climb on" he relented, turning his back to her.

"How do I know this isn't a trick?" she said warily, eying for the first time the tattoo on his upper bicep.

"Come on woman" he said, rolling his eyes. She reached a hand out to him and he grabbed it, pulling her forward. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms lacing around his neck as she tried not to think about how close her private parts were to him.

"I never knew you had a tattoo."

"Don't really show it off. Special treat for the ladies" he smirked as he swam with her on his back, already almost to the other end. Rachel pulled her arm down from around his neck, bringing her hand down to touch the ink on his arm. "Weren't you listening? _Special treat for the ladies;_ you touch, I better be getting something in return."

She rolled her eyes at his words and the tingles they brought her as she touched her index finger to the ink. It was a tribal arm band, wrapping around his arm with tiny musical notes laced inside. Music notes? She shrugged, filing that information away in her mind as she ran her fingers over the pattern.

"I warned you" he said, reaching around and pulling her from his back onto his front. Her legs stayed locked around his waist as he held her to him, his face mere inches from hers. "I hope you're ready to put out, do you wax?"

"Pig" she scolded, removing his arms from around her and sliding down his body, if a little reluctantly in spite of his crude manner. Finn continued to chuckle at her as she bounced away from him toward the plastic basketballs. She was thankful that she could stand now, but being carried wasn't all that bad either. Maybe she could find a way to get another piggy back ride later, she certainly planned on it. She grabbed the closest ball to her and turned around with a bright smile, holding it up in the air.

"Show me your skills Oh Mighty One."

Rachel rolled her eyes at his exaggerated tone, but proceeded to shoot. She bent her knees slightly, cradled the ball in her hands, and pushed forward, tossing it into the basket easily. "Score" she chirped as the ball bounced over to him. "Change please."

"Well I'll be damned, you can shoot" he commented, picking up the ball and tossing it back to her.

"My dads are big basketball fans, we used to play together on family game nights" she informed him, watching his face for a reaction. She had withheld this information purposely, not many people were as open minded as they should be. Over the years she had faced all kinds of ridicule from people putting down her fathers alternative lifestyle, it was infuriating.

"Dads?"

"Yes, dads as in plural. Do you a fault in that?"

"No, not at all. I've been burnt by that once, I learned my lesson" he said, holding up his hands.

"What do you mean" she asked, tossing the ball into the basket yet again.

"My step-brother is gay. I didn't really accept it at first, gave him shit about it. Then it turned into a big fight between me, him, and his dad and things got pretty ugly for a while. Eventually I came to my senses though, I was wrong. So no, I see nothing wrong with your dads, I think it's cool. Love is love, right" he shrugged, fetching the ball for her again.

"Yes, yes it is" she smiled, watching the water hit him as he moved through it. She knew it, she knew Finn wouldn't judge her. And he'd mentioned the existence of love, maybe there was hope for him after all.

"Mostly it just freaked me out at first because he had a crush on me. Looking back, I can't really blame him for that, I'm kind of irresistible" he smirked, fake passing her the ball and tossing it in himself.

"Oh God" she rolled her eyes. "I guess I can't argue with you there. I can barely resist my need to gag" she said, placing a hand to her throat dramatically.

"Well-" he started, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Good thing I have no gag reflex, I couldn't stand to be around you" she finished coolly, not missing the way his eyes bugged at her comment. She smiled to herself as she retrieved the ball, ignoring his dropped jaw.

"No gag reflex huh? How did you find that one out, finally start experimenting with the boyfriend before you cut him loose" he asked, finally finding his words.

"Um, no. I wanted to get out of school early one day in high school, and tried to make myself vomit. Didn't work, therefore I learned" she explained, tossing the ball from one hand to the other as he stared at her.

"Damn. Poor guy."

"Lucky somebody else" she shrugged, tossing the ball into the basket again, knocking it off the backboard. "Eventually anyway."

"Lucky somebody else" he repeated, fetching the ball for her. "So um, anyway, you're actually pretty good at this" he commented, clearing his throat. "Wanna play a game?"

"Heck no, you're much too tall for me to have a dream of blocking you, and I don't shoot well under pressure." Finn stalked toward her, narrowing his eyes.

"I want to play a game" he smirked, ducking down into the water as he came closer.

"Finn, Finn stop" she squealed, watching as his face dipped below the water. His hands came up, pushing his hair up into a 'Fin' poking up out of the water and she giggled to herself at the irony. She backed as far as she could get as he swam toward her, turning before she got to the deep part and backing away again. He swam slowly, stalking her as she bounced around, intimidating her. He came up for air with a loud cry, diving towards her and she squeaked, jumping backwards to get away from him. His arms were much too long for her escape, and he caged her to him effortlessly.

"Gotcha" he cried, lifting her up. "Where did you think you were going?"

"You looked like a shark" she grinned as she struggled in his arms.

"Sharks only hang out in deep water Rach, do you wanna go to the deep water" he taunted, pulling her up with a devilish smirk. She knew that smile, he did not have good things planned.

"No, Finn, stop" she squeaked, wiggling to get out of his embrace. He pulled her to his chest, holding her with one arm as he walked over to the ladder on the side of the pool. He lifted them both out, holding her to him as he walked over to the diving pool. Her eyes widened when she realized what he was doing, wrapping her arms around his neck tighter and burying her face in his shoulder as he stepped to the edge of the pool.

Before she could even scream, he tightened his arms around her, cradling the back of her head as he jumped into the deep pool. She kept her eyes closed as they fell, keeping her death grip around his neck with her arms and legs around his middle. Her heart pounded in her chest wildly until they resurfaced, her sputtering into the air, her hair matted to her forehead.

"Don't let me go, don't let me go, I can't swim" she panted, holding onto him for dear life.

"Relax Rach, I got you" he laughed, brushing the hair out of her face with one hand. "You're fine, breathe" he instructed, pulling back and taking deep breaths in demonstration. She followed his breathing pattern easily, it wasn't hard considering how close they were. She could feel him moving his legs beneath them, keeping them afloat and she focused on the movement to calm her. "Try this" he said, peering into her eyes reassuringly as he unlocked her legs from around his waist.

He then turned himself around, allowing her to hold onto his shoulders from behind. "Kick your legs, but not like, a ninja or anything. Try to mimic mine" he instructed. She looked down under the water, taking in the steady motion of his feet and started to move hers in the same way. When she did he started to swim forward, allowing her to kick behind him. After a few feet, he turned around again. "Good, good Rach. Now, I'm going to let you go, but I'm right here okay" he added when her eyebrows shot up. "All you have to do is keep paddling your legs like that, keep your breathing steady, and stroke your arms out" he said, moving one of his arms to show her the way. "You'll stay up, I promise. If all else fails, you can float on your back."

Something in his golden specked eyes gave her the faith she needed, and she nodded. She released him one hand at a time, keeping up the paddling of her feet until she felt steady. She beamed at him as she kept herself above the water, matching the proud grin he was sporting. "That a girl."

"I'm doing it, I'm not dying!" she squealed, taking the initiative to swim about a foot away from him then back.

"I see that Rach, you're doing good. Think you're ready to take on the diving board?"

She looked up at it, it wasn't all that high, but it was definitely out of her comfort zone. But then, comfort zones were exactly what she was supposed to be getting away from right? And Finn was here, he wouldn't let her get hurt. (The lifeguard hiding in his office off to the far side of the pool didn't matter, Finn was her lifeguard.)

"You know what, yeah I am" she answered, nodding her head in determination. She paddled her way over to the ladder and climbed out. "Stay close, don't let me drown" she warned as she stepped onto the ladder.

"Never."

She climbed up and made her way onto the platform, looking down at the pool. It really was a long way down there. She shook her head of the thoughts, and focused on the beautiful boy waiting, looking up at her with a lopsided smile. Her heart (among other things) clenched as she smiled back at him, and she took a deep breath, holding in the air. She closed her eyes, took a step backward, then launched herself forward, up and off of the platform with a high pitched squeal.

Rachel hit the water with a loud splash, and dove down, farther than she had expected. She fought and pushed, trying to make her way back to the surface with all of her strength, sputtering with relief when she finally broke through. Immediately she felt arms around her, holding her up as she caught her breath. Almost on instinct now, her legs wrapped around his waist, using him for support. She gripped his shoulders and tilted back, to shake her now tangled hair out. When she looked back down, his eyes were wide, before he looked up to her with a snarky smile.

"Um, Rach..." he pointedly looked down, darting his eyes away quickly. She followed his gaze down to find her right breast fallen out of its cup, it must have happened when she went under.

"Oh!" she squeaked, reaching down to pull it back into its respectful cup. She clapped her hand over her face in embarrassment as she felt the laughter rumble in his chest.

"Thanks for the peep show, really nice" he smirked, tickling her side. "If I didn't know better, I would think you were trying to seduce me."

"It was an _accident_. But I suppose we're kind of even for the peep show you presented me with the other night" she shot back before she even realized the words had slipped out.

"What?"

"I, um, nothing" she sputtered, attempting to disentangle herself from him to no avail.

"No, what do you mean" he pressed, holding his hand to the small of her back as she remained pressed against him. She looked down at where their bodies met, noticing for the first time how thing his trunks were.

"Well, um, let's just say slacks aren't exactly the best thing to wear to a dance party" she mumbled. He still looked confused, so she continued. "They were about as thin as these, so um, I could really _feel_ you" she explained, watching as the comprehension dawned on his face. It almost looked like he was embarrassed.

"Well this is awkward" he said, pouting his lips to one side before he shrugged. "Oh well, I blame you for trying to seduce me" he said, releasing her sides and attempting to dunk her in the water. This time however, she was prepared for him. She pressed her feet into his sides, using the momentum to push herself up and shoved him down by the shoulders. In his surprise he completely let go of her, and she pushed him down farther before swimming away.

"I know your tricks now Finn" she giggled, dodging him easily as he dove towards her for revenge.

"I wouldn't say all that" he challenged. She only stuck her tongue out at him in response.

"Stop attacking me, or I'll call security" she warned, backing herself up to the side wall of the pool as he approached. There was no real threat behind her words even though she knew he wouldn't give up. The predatory look in his eyes told her as much, but she couldn't find it in herself to dodge him again. She _wanted_ him to come after her.

"You wouldn't dare" he whispered, narrowing his eyes at her. "There's no security in here anyway, nobody to protect you."

"I don't need protecting, I'm a big girl" she countered, looking at him defiantly as he came closer. He pressed both palms against the sides of the pool beside her, caging her between it and his body. She looked up into his eyes as he gazed down at her, never blinking as his eyes searched hers.

"When did you get so tough?"

"Tough teacher" she breathed, giving him a small smile. She watched the water beads slide down his arms as he pressed himself closer to her, his breath mingling with her own from the proximity. His eyes bore into her, her gaze never wavering even as her heart beat pounded in her ears. Finally he shook his head, blinking his eyes as he pushed himself back from her and swam into the center of the pool.

She caught her breath as he moved, the blood rushing back to her head. She instantly missed the contact, and moved forward toward him when she heard another voice.

"Sorry guys, pools closing" the shady lifeguard announced, standing a few feet away from the edge of the pool.

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking up at the man.

"We close early every day the week before Thanksgiving Break" he said simply, nodding to her as he turned on his heel. "We close in five minutes."

Rachel sighed as she stared after the man before turning back to find Finn already climbing out of the pool. The spell had definitely been broken. She too swam over to the ladder and climbed out. Finn was standing by their towels when she came up, he handed her own and she wrapped it around herself.

"So, this sucks" she pouted, tucking the edge of the towel in to secure it.

"I know, I completely forgot they close early at times like these" he said, drying off his face with his own towel.

"Well, there's always next time" she decided, hoping that he would agree. He nodded at her before picking up his bag of things, then handed her her own.

"Right" he agreed before disappearing into the dressing room.

* * *

Changed back into her normal clothes, she exited the locker rooms with her things. She really hoped it wasn't too cold outside, she was already freezing. She rounded the corner of the hall to find Finn sitting on a bench, seemingly waiting for her. How chivalrous of him.

"Hey."

"I figured you might want a ride back to your dorm, your bound to be cold" he said, holding up his keys.

"Thank you Finn, that's very chivalrous of you."

"I know, its weird. I gotta stop doing stuff like this" he teased, nudging her in the side as they exited the building and made their way over to his truck.

"I don't know, I think it's a good look for you" she giggled, hopping up and buckling herself in.

"So, what do you plan on doing with the rest of your evening?" he asked casually, starting up the engine and turning up his heat.

"Um, Brittany is spending the night at Santana's so I don't really know" she answered, toying with the sleeve of her shirt.

Finn nodded thoughtfully as he looked up at her again. "What about you, are you working?"

"Nah, I'm off tonight. I actually don't know what I'll do, it's been a while since I've had a free night."

"Well, you're welcome to hang out with me" she offered, struggling not to blush. "I mean, our play date did get ended prematurely, and neither of us have any plans so-"

"Yeah, yeah that sounds cool."

"We can watch some Netflix, play games, or whatever" she rambled on. "I think we have some drinks too, like beers and stuff, if you want. We can drink and just, chill."

He looked over meeting her eyes briefly with a smile. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Rachel looked away, turning her head to stare out the window so that he couldn't see her ecstatic smile. Her stomach was doing somersaults already at just the idea of Finn coming over to hang out with her for the night. She didn't know for sure if anything would happen, she could only hope. She chanced a look over at him again, and caught him turning his head quickly.

Caught staring again. Oh yeah, this was going to be an interesting night.

_**Thanks for reading! Part two of this chapter coming VERY soon!**_

_**Reviews are love! **_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee, or any of the lyrics included in this story; only the plot, and words.  
**_

_**"Don't you wanna stay here a little while? Don't you wanna hold each other tight, don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight? Don't you wanna stay here a little while? We could make forever feel this way, don't you wanna stay?"**_

_**-from 'Don't You Wanna Stay'**_

_**Few things before this chapter: First off, thank you all so much for the reviews, favs, and follows, they mean so much more to me than I can express, so thank you! Also, I've been dropping reminders from the beginning that this was going to be a DRAMA, I hope that you haven't forgotten that. I love Finchel as much (if not more) than anyone else, but for the sake of this story prepare to be frustrated with our precious Finn for a while. That is all, enjoy!  
**_

Rachel bustled around her room, tidying things as she went. Thankfully Finn had dropped her off at her dorm, then ran to his own apartment to take a shower, get some fresh clothes, and do a few things before he came back. After picking out her earlier outfit, and then bathing suit with Tana she had left her room in a bit of a mess. As soon as he dropped her off, she rushed upstairs to take a shower then tidy things back up to perfection.

She wasn't exactly sure what she should wear for this type of event, and after a fair amount of debating, she settled on a well fitting pair of sweatpants and a cute, over the shoulder pink shirt. She rationalized this because it was already nine o'clock at night, and completely normal for her to be in clothes for just lounging around. She knew Finn, its not like he would show up in slacks and another tie (not that she would complain if he did) and she wanted to match him casualness.

She was sorting through movies on Netflix when her phone buzzed. Already tingling from excitement, she bounced over to her bedside nightstand to check the message.

**I'm downstairs.**

She hopped up and down a few times, releasing some of her excitement before she ran over to the mirror. She inspected herself for a final time, running her hands through her freshly washed hair and smoothing it down again. Happy with her appearance, she turned to grab her keys and make her way out the door to let him inside. When she opened her door, skipping forward, she walked right into a broad, gray clad chest.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Finn asked, an amused smile playing on the corners of his mouth as he steadied her.

"Finn, God you scared me" she panted, swatting at his chest. "I thought you were downstairs" she continued, holding a hand to her racing heart as she let him inside the room.

"I was, somebody else came up and let me in" he explained, sitting himself down in the chair at her desk. It was so odd seeing him there, yet at the same time it felt natural, like he was supposed to be there. She eyed his simple gray t-shirt, the holey jeans, and tennis shoes; she knew it, casual. Smiling to herself, she automatically slipped into hostess mode.

"Do you want something to drink, or anything?"

"I'll take a beer" he replied, pulling his chair back so that he could see the television atop her desk. "What are you watching?" he asked as she made her way over to the refrigerator. She pulled a beer out, and one of the 40 oz Smirnoff Ices for herself.

"I hadn't really picked anything yet, I was waiting for you to get here" she shrugged, handing the beer to him.

"That's what you're drinking? That's wimp juice" he laughed, popping the top off of his beer.

"It is not _wimp_ juice, it's basically the same thing, with a much nicer taste" she defended, twisting the top off of her drink.

Finn shook his head at her as he grabbed the controller for her system, flipping through the different movies. Eventually he settled on a comedy called 'The Hangover'. "Have you ever seen this Rach?"

"Can't say that I have." She moved to the foot of her bed, climbing up and onto it. She positioned herself cross-legged in the center, just behind Finn's left shoulder as he pressed play.

"It's really funny, you'll like it." She nodded, bringing her drink to her lips again for a large gulp. Whatever he wanted to watch was fine with her, she had everything she wanted. Well maybe not everything, she wished he was a little closer.

The opening credits started, and she tried to pay attention. The movie was about a man going to Vegas for his bachelor's party with his two closest friends and soon to be brother in law. She could certainly see why Finn like it, it seemed funny enough. She wasn't too focused on it though, rather she focused on the way his t-shirt hugged his back muscles. Or the soft texture of his hair, the way his lips puckered when he brought the beer to his lips. It wasn't very long before half of her drink was gone, and he needed a new one. She happily bounced down from the bed, fetching him another.

When she came back, she found him toying with her deck of Phase 10 cards. They had played once in The Playground, on an evening when he was working. Finn, Puck, Mike, Tina, and herself had all played. That night she found out how dirty of a competitor he was. She was furious when he used a skip card on her, then bribed everyone else in the game that had a skip card to use it on her as well. Needless to say, she had finished last in that game. She had slipped Puck any cards she could to help him though, ensuring that Finn wouldn't win. It had been a blast.

"We haven't played this in a while, want to play?" he asked, twisting open and taking a sip from his drink. She nodded excitedly, watching as he got up from his chair, and effortlessly sat down on the edge of her bed. He toed off his shoes, and scooted farther back, making himself comfortable at the edge of her bed.

_Finn was in her bed._

She brought her own drink up to her lips to chug, fighting the goofy smile trying to emerge on her face.

"How's that water?" he asked, smirking at her as he shuffled the cards, his beer nestled between his thighs.

"My perfectly acceptable alcoholic beverage is delightful" she responded, taking another large gulp as she made a face at him. "I don't know how you drink that foul drink" she continued, nodding towards his beer.

"It's not that bad, do you wanna try it" he asked, releasing the cards to hold it out to her with a tempting smile. She looked at the bottle of unappealing liquid, the realization that the top had been pressed to his lips being the only reason she reached out towards it. She brought the beer to her mouth, taking a dainty sip and scowling before she handed it back to him.

"Hey, you survived" he chuckled as he accepted the bottle from her. "Um, you got a little..." he reached forward, touching the tip of his index finger to the corner of her mouth, swiping up a leftover drop of the drink. Her breath caught at the intimate touch, eyes following the movement as he brought the finger to his mouth and sucked off the drop. "See, not bad at all."

She swallowed as he stared at her, the bitter taste in her mouth forgotten as she focused on him. His eyes shined at her, whether from the alcohol, or from the same things she was feeling she wasn't sure. "Mine is still better" she argued weakly, holding up her drink. "Do you want a taste?" Finn shook his head at the offer, making her heart deflate enough to clear her head. "Suit yourself. Are you ready to deal?"

Finn dealt the cards for the both of them, the movie playing in the background mostly forgotten as they started the game. They decided not to keep points, making it more of a leisurely game. He was much nicer this time, or maybe that was because there wasn't anyone around for him to gang up on her with. The game also went by much slower, the both of them taking the time to joke, laugh at random parts of the movie they managed to catch, and drink their respective drinks. She was in the lead, making it to phase four and leaving him behind on three. Soon her bottle was empty, the alcohol finally making itself known in her system.

"I'm going to get another drink, don't cheat" she said sternly, pointing a finger at him. She noticed his bottle was empty as well, and silently decided to bring him another as well. She popped the tops off of both drinks with only a little struggle, and brought them back to her bed. Instead of going back through the trouble of climbing up and over Finn, she stood to the side of the bed to continue the game.

"You're gonna play from down there? I can barely see you" he grinned, eyes shining down at her.

Rachel stuck out her tongue at him, twisting open her bottle. They continued their game, even though it became less and less important with every sip of her drink, and every lingering glimpse she caught from him. She could tell the alcohol was getting to her when she started to get hot. She wasn't drunk, far from it, but she was a little tipsy. Just enough to be happy, and open, and feel _free_. She smiled up at Finn as she laid out her last phase, laughing as he pouted at her, his glazed eyes sparkling.

"I win!" she sang, dropping her last card and throwing her arms up in the air. She spun around in a circle, swaying slightly and losing her balance. She fell down on her bottom, on the seat that Finn had first occupied. "Oops" she giggled, standing up again.

"Drunk?"

"No, I'm not drunk, I don't plan on ever getting _drunk_ again. I'm just kind of buzzed, I feel good" she informed him, one hand firmly on her hip as she reached over to bring her drink to her lips again.

She looked up to her t.v to find that the movie had ended. Rachel sighed as she thought about what that meant for them, she hadn't really thought this far ahead. She knew they were going to hang out, but she wasn't sure for how long. They were drinking pretty liberally, did that mean he was planning on staying the night? Or had he planned on leaving when the movie was over? The game was finished, the movie was off, it would make sense for him to leave now. She desperately hoped he wouldn't though, she wanted him to stay.

"Um, the movie is off" she stated dumbly, waving a hand towards it.

"Oh, yeah." They stared at each other for a second awkwardly before they both burst into giggles for no apparent reason, probably the alcohol. "Did you want to watch something else?"

Rachel nodded excitedly at his words, snatching up the controller and immediately searching for another acceptable movie to hopefully ignore. In her haze, she didn't even try to hide her excitement, she didn't care, all she cared about was that he wanted to stick around. Finally she stopped on Transformers 3, remembering him mentioning not too long ago that it was the only one of the series he hadn't seen.

"Perfect" he smiled, sliding down from her bed to toss his empty bottle.

"Do you want another one?" she asked, eager to supply him with whatever he wanted and more if possible.

"I think I'm good, you should probably slow down though" he said, eying her as she swayed in place.

"There's only one beer left, you should finish it so we can get it out of the refrigerator" she decided for him, skipping over to take it out. She popped the cap off of it as well, clinking it to her own drink as she handed it to Finn. "Cheers" she declared with a giggle, tipping her bottle back. They both chugged, competing with one another as they drank. Finn _of course_ won, smacking his lips loudly as he set the empty bottle down.

"I win" he cheered, mocking her with a smirk as he pumped his fist.

Rachel finally brought her drink down from her lips, releasing a very loud burp at him in response.

"Wow Rach, super hot" he said, scrunching up his face in mock disgust at her.

"I _am_ hot" she sang, wiggling in place before skipping over to him. "You don't think I'm hot" she asked, tickling his chest with her fingers, her eyes widening exaggeratedly as she tickled him.

"You've definitely had enough" he laughed, prying the drink from her hands and setting it on her desk. "Let's sit you down" he said, leading her over to her bed.

"I can't get all the way up there" she sighed, holding her arms out as a signal for him to lift her. As expected, he lifted her by the waist easily, setting her down on the mattress. She scooted backwards leaning her back against the wall, facing the television, when she realized Finn wasn't joining her. He pulled the chair around, sitting down and facing the t.v as well, his back to her as he hit play on the movie. She pouted at their distance, realizing that they would be separated for the extent of the whole movie. That just wouldn't do.

"I don't want to sit up here anymore" she decided, scooting forward.

"What, why?"

"You're all the way down there, I want to sit down there."

"There's nowhere for you to sit down here." She shrugged her shoulders, batting her eyelashes at him in invitation. She beamed as he stood, pushing the chair forward and climbing back up onto the bed with her. He pushed himself backward, settling on the bed right beside her, his feet hanging off of the side of the bed.

"Much better" she cooed, leaning her head over onto his shoulder bravely. He didn't flinch away, or even laugh, if she wasn't mistaken, he even leaned a little closer.

The movie started, but she didn't really notice. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, taking in the scent of him and the soft feel of his t-shirt. She wasn't exactly sure how long the movie had been on, or what had happened to the dark haired girl for her to be replaced with the pretty blonde, but she did know that she was losing her mind sitting in her bed so close to Finn. After their extreme flirting in the pool, the way he'd been staring at her all day, and the fact that he was spending this night, his one free night alone with her in her bed, was making her head spin and her heart race. The little voice in the back of her mind wouldn't stop screaming: _it's time_. Time for her to make a move, if it was going to happen, this was as good a time as any. Actually, this seemed like the perfect time, everything had led up to this one moment. Between the little voice, and the alcohol coursing through her system, there was no way she could let it pass her by.

Taking a deep breath, she turned her face into his shoulder, placing a tentative, feather light kiss to the fabric of his sleeve. She instantly felt his breath hitch, his body freezing as he felt her lips. The fact that he didn't move, or push her away inspired her to place another kiss, then another. She kissed her way up his shoulder until she reached the smooth expanse of his neck. Peeking up to find his eyes closed in what certainly looked like pleasure, she took the initiative to shift onto her knees, placing a soft kiss to his neck. He sighed softly, his hands gripping the sheet beside her as she continued to kiss his neck, taking a chance to nibble lightly on the skin. She heard him release a gentle curse, tilting his head over slightly as she continued to work his neck.

She was quickly growing tired of the angle, her neck getting sore from stretching, and she chanced another look at his face. He was obviously enjoying this as much as she was, both hands fisted into the sheets beside him, his mouth open in a perfect O. Taking that as a sign to continue her ministrations, she swung one leg over him, straddling his lap. His eyes immediately opened, his eyes full of lust and questions. Smiling softly Rachel tipped his head to the other side, latching her lips onto the other side of his neck to continue her kisses. She felt his hands come up, squeezing her hips as she nibbled lightly on his neck.

Rachel pulled back to look at him, meeting the questions in his eyes with a reassuring smile. She leaned forward, her eyes locked on his the entire time until she touched her lips to his. As soon as their lips met, the cloud of sexual tension around them exploded like fireworks. His hands gripped her hips tighter, his lips melding to hers in the most passionate kiss she had ever experienced. She had no idea it could feel like this, was this even normal?

The tip of his tongue slipped out, teasing the edge of her lips until she opened her mouth further, allowing him entrance. One hand came up to grip the back of her head as he explored her mouth, pulling her tighter to his body. She felt like she was floating as he possessed her mouth, dominating the kiss. She sighed into his mouth, tangling her fingers in his hair as the lights exploded behind her eyelids.

She finally pulled back from him, panting for air, her eyes locked on him as he reached forward. His hand reached up to the top of her t-shirt, and slowly he pulled down the lowest side, exposing her bra to him. He gently pulled the cup down, exposing her breast to him for the second time that day.

He shot her a panty soaking smile as he leaned forward, strategically placing kisses around her nipple. She sighed softly as he pleasured her breast, fondling the both of them as she squeezed her thighs around him. When he finally pulled back, Rachel pushed his hands away from her, pulling his shirt up and over his head, eager to feel more of his skin. Once it was removed she leaned in to take his own nipple between her lips, sucking gently as he tightened his grip on her ass. He kneaded her behind with one hand, the other toying with the bottom of her t-shirt. She reached down, pulling the shirt off and tossing it and her bra onto the floor along with his. She eagerly pressed her bare chest to his, reveling in the feeling of his skin pressed to hers.

Before she leaned back to his eager lips, she lifted a hand, dragging her fingertips up his abs, over his pecs, and over to his shoulder. Very purposefully, she brought her fingers to the tribal arm band circling his arm. Remembering what he had said about his tattoo, she kept her eyes locked on his as she traced the pattern with her fingertip, then leaned over to place a kiss to it, letting her tongue poke out to trace as well.

Before she could complete the pattern, Finn pushed her backward, pressing her into the mattress as he attacked her lips again. He dragged her sweatpants down her legs and pushed them over the side of the bed before his hand found its way back to her breast, squeezing and rolling her nipple around. He laid beside her, placing another kiss to each breast before reaching around to grip her ass. He hooked his hand behind her knee, hitching it up over his hip and pulled her closer to him, his very present erection pushing into her.

More than turned on by now, her mind a big puddle of goo, she leaned into him, bringing her hands down to unbutton his jeans. His hands came down, reaching into his pocket to pull out a condom before he started to help her get the pants off of him.

He had a condom, already, just waiting in his pocket. Did he think this was going to happen, had he planned on it too? Her smile only grew at the idea. Finally he sat up on his knees to pull the jeans completely off, his boxers going down with them.

Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of him, much larger than she had even expected. She had felt him through his slacks at the party, and she knew then that he was by no means small, but actually seeing him now was a totally different thing. He was much bigger than Sam had been in both length, and girth, and she could only imagine how much different it would feel. Well, she wouldn't be_ imagining_ very soon. Her lower muscles clenched as she stared him down, chewing on her bottom lip as he smirked at her.

She reached out to wrap her hand around him, curling her hand into the semblance of a fist as she stroked him, already hard in her hand. Hard for _her_, again. She smirked back at him, pulling him forward to press her lips to his. The smirk melted at the intensity of his kiss, it felt like he had somehow reached his hand right into her chest and was holding her heart. She moaned at the feeling, gripping his shoulder as he tugged down on her panties. He peeled them down her legs and tossed them into the growing pile of clothes, his eyes glued between her thighs.

Before he could move, Rachel pushed him back and leaned over his lap. She stared down at his manhood, dripping from the tip as it stared back at her. Her mouth watered as she looked, it was about time she tested that gag reflex.

She wrapped her lips around the very tip of him, swirling her tongue around it as she wrapped her hand around the base of him. His hands threaded into her hair as she started to suck, moving down further. She looked up at him through her lashes, thrilled at his heavy breathing, and the way his eyes were pinched shut. He finally met her gaze and she smiled around him before relaxing her throat muscles. Rachel tilted her head forward, changing the angle slightly as she lowered her head over him as far as she could possibly go until he hit the very back of her throat.

"_Holy fuck_" he cried, his hands tightening in her hair as she started to hum, now fondling his testicles gently. She moved back, swirling her tongue around his tip again before repeating the action, when Finn pulled her up. "Proved your point, no gag reflex" he panted, pushing her back into the sheets as his eyes set her aflame all over again. "I wanna feel _you_."

Without waiting for an answer Finn brought his hand to her folds, using one finger to spread her apart. He ran his finger along her slit, completely coating it in her wetness before he pushed the digit inside of her.

She moaned at the sensation, her walls squeezing around him as he pulled the finger out to repeat the pattern. It was obvious that Finn was very good at what he was doing, she was already panting from his ministrations. He brought his lips to her pulse point as he continued to work her core, teasing her clit with his fingertips and making her whine.

He pulled back, still playing with her with one hand, using the other to reach out for the condom packet. He tore it open with his teeth, then rolled the latex onto himself, his eyes never leaving hers. Once in place, Finn removed his hand from her and gripped himself in his hand. He replaced his fingers with his hardness, rubbing the tip along her slit teasingly.

Completely enjoying the teasing, but dying to actually feel him, Rachel pushed him backwards, guiding him onto his behind again. She straddled his hips, gripping his shoulders as she looked down into his eyes. She sat up on her knees, taking him in her hand to align him with her entrance. Slowly, she sank down, hugging him with the walls of her body as he filled her completely.

Rachel gasped, pausing once she was seated. Her eyes snapped shut as she let her body adjust to the feeling of being stretched. After a few seconds she rose again, then dropped back down slowly. She moaned as she fell into her rhythm riding him. She gripped his shoulders tightly, her fingernails digging half moons into his skin. One of his hands came up to wrap around her waist, the other gripped the back of her neck as she moved. He snapped his hips upward as she came down, pushing himself even further into her.

"_Uhh, Finn_" she cried, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she moved over him, increasing her speed at his urging. She rode him wildly, her thrusts growing erratic until Finn's grip tightened around her. He held her steady over him as he pushed himself up harder, jamming her down as he came up. She screamed into his shoulder as he groaned, her inner muscles squeezing around him. She had no idea what was happening to her body, but her heart was racing impossibly fast, she couldn't even hear over it to make out the incoherent mumblings Finn was releasing, and all of a sudden everything in her felt like it was tightening. She was approaching something, something big.

She panted and gasped above him, gripping him as tightly to her as possible while he gave her everything she didn't know she needed. She forced her eyes down, meeting his heated gaze for a final time. The pure lust in his eyes, the way they burned up at her as his jaw hung open in that beautiful O seemed to be the finishing touch to the magic in her body. Her head snapped back and her eyes shut as her body trembled, her walls fluttering wildly around Finn inside her. He clutched her tighter as she felt him pump one more time, and then it was over.

Rachel remained in his lap for a minute as they caught their breath. Her legs were about the consistency of jello, and her heart was still pounding in her ears, she needed the time to recover. Once she could finally breathe regularly, and she regained some of the feeling in her legs she untangled them from around Finn. The sudden need to pee weighed down on her kidneys, and she crawled down from the bed with a shy smile. She scooped her shirt up from the floor, and pulled it over her head then shakily turned toward the bathroom. "Um, I'll be right back."

She couldn't wipe the grin off of her face as she left the room. All of the sweating, and heavy activity erased some of the alcohol from her system, but she still felt amazing. No, she had never known what amazing felt like until _right now_. She had no idea sex could be this good, this fulfilling. With Sam, she hadn't felt engaged, there was no passion. She couldn't even put into words the passion that she had just experienced with Finn. It made her heart squeeze in her chest just to think about it. It was a little bit scary how intensely she felt about Finn, she felt more connected to him than she ever had with anyone else. And yeah, she had just learned that sex with him was mind-blowing, but it was more than that. It felt like all the confused strings of their relationship had just been tied together, sealing them for good.

He was in the room, he had to of felt the same things she had felt, there wasn't really any denying it now. She wondered what it would be like when she got back. Maybe they could cuddle, actually finish one of those movies and talk about everything in the morning. That sounded plausible enough. She washed her hands and checked her reflection in the mirror before she walked back out. Her hair was obviously a mess, so she ran her fingers through it a few times to get rid of the knots and smooth it back down. There really was no point, the way things were going she might end up getting it messed right back up as soon as she came out.

One thing she didn't expect to happen when she came back into her bedroom, was to find a fully dressed Finn, picking his keys up off of her dresser. He bent down to tie his shoes, giving her a small smile.

"Hey, is something wrong" she asked as nonchalantly as possible, trying to calm her pounding heart. Some part of her mind idly wondered how she hadn't had a heart attack yet tonight.

"No, no. It's just getting pretty late, I should get home. Puck will be wondering where I'm at, we have another benefit early in the morning."

Rachel nodded silently, at least he had a good excuse. She was suddenly reminded of Puck telling her once that Finn would sleep with girls then sneak out whether they were awake or not, no remorse. This had to be a good sign, right? At least he wasn't completely blowing her off, or being a jerk about it.

"Oh, oh okay. Um, do you want me to walk you down?"

"No, you're um, not uh" he mumbled, waving his hands toward her state of undress, avoiding eye contact. "It's cool, I can show myself out." He gave her another tight smile as he passed her, walking towards the door. He flinched slightly when she reached out for his hand, and she fought her very hardest not to let the tears well up in her eyes. Where had everything gone wrong?

"Finn?"

"I didn't mean to stay out so late, its gonna be killer getting up in the morning. You should get some sleep" he said gently, squeezing her hand before he released it. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

She nodded as he turned again, opening the door. He turned around, meeting her eyes for just a second as he waved goodbye, and then he was gone. No hug, no kiss, no nothing. Just gone.

Rachel sat down on her desk chair, too weak to climb up onto her bed. Her mind was whizzing with everything that had transpired, her heart felt like it weighed a thousand pounds and she was getting an extreme headache as she tried to sort through all of this. Had she really just been hit and quit, by her best friend? Or was she over analyzing? Maybe he really did need to go, maybe tomorrow she would wake up to a sweet good morning text and they could go from there. They could talk everything through together, and move forward. That had to be it, it could work.

Her phone buzzed just a few seconds later and she rushed to grab it, a relieved smile gracing her face when she saw that it was a text from Finn. She was wrong, she was getting a sweet goodnight text.

**I don't think we should tell anyone about this. **

The smile slid off of her face as she read, and re-read the message, her confusion even worse now than before. Her stomach tied up in knots, and the tears finally spilled over her eyes as she tossed the phone aside and curled up in the chair. What had she just done?

**Thanks for the read! Hope you're enjoying! (Though if you're like me, I know you're probably flipping out and kicking chairs at Finn's iffy reaction.) Please don't yell at me, it makes me sad. Remember, I promised a happy ending so be PATIENT! Trust me, I have a plan.  
**

**Reviews are love! (Unless they're yelling at me.) **


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee, or any of the lyrics included in this story. **_

"_**You never know what you want, and you never say what you mean. But I start to go insane, every time that you look at me. You only hear half of what I say, and you're always showing up too late. And I know that I should say goodbye but it's no use, can't be with or without you."  
**_

_**-from 'Here We Go Again'**_

The night passed slowly, but eventually morning came. Rachel didn't get much sleep, she couldn't force her mind to stop thinking about what had happened between Finn and herself. Any time she closed her eyes, all she could picture was the way he looked at her, the way he cradled her so close, his dazzling smile. It had felt like things were so perfect, impossibly perfect, like they were so connected. How could he just leave like that? Was that his usual manner, was all that passion and chemistry she had felt just another part of his game?

She didn't reply to his message, and he never sent another one. It hurt too much to even think about talking to him, yet at the same time that's all she wanted to do. She had never been through anything like this before, how do you handle it? Especially when the person is your friend, your best friend. Wrestling with her thoughts and tormenting herself was no help, but being respectful to his wishes, and mindful of her own pride, she couldn't mention it to Brittany or Santana. She was all alone in this, with no clue what to do.

The classes passed by quickly, most of them ending earlier than usual since it was the last day before Thanksgiving Break. Part of her was thankful for it, the other part wished that classes hadn't ended so soon, she needed the distraction. She threw herself into her acting course like never before, allowing herself to take on the character in the practice scene as a means of escape. It was freeing, even slightly therapeutic. Her professor, Ms. Holiday, had even commented on her performance, praising it and telling her that she couldn't wait to see her recital. She still hadn't decided on a theme yet, but the way things were going she was leaning towards heartbreak. No, that was too cliche. Maybe she could do something more interesting like, obsession. She could definitely pull that off. Maybe even insanity, as Finn had suggested what felt like ages ago, he was starting to make her feel crazy.

Finally at the end of the day, Rachel decided that it was time, she couldn't ignore him anymore. She needed to see him, to talk to him. Maybe he was confused, or scared, or maybe he didn't know how she felt. All she knew was that her heart missed him, her _body_ missed him too. She needed to see him before she went back home, if for nothing more than to clear her mind. She took deep breaths and found that her feet had led her directly to The Playground. Walking inside she found that the room was mostly empty, save for a few random kids playing ping pong, a group of boys playing cards at a table, and Puck standing alone at a pool table.

"Hey" she breathed in both relief and disappointment.

"Sup Berry" he replied, looking up to her once he stood up from his position. "You look like hell."

"Gee thanks." She released a small laugh, rolling her eyes at his face. "Where is everyone?"

"Will's in some meeting, Finn should be here soon, and I think everyone else is gone home by now."

"Oh. Did you and Finn have a good time at your event this morning?" She felt slightly guilty for pressing Puck for information, but part of her had wondered all night if Finn had been lying about having somewhere to go just to get out of there. If anyone could vouch for him, it would be Puck.

"I wouldn't say fun, that time of morning is for the birds" he groaned, arranging balls around on the table in no real order. "But we got a lot of shit done, raised money for the Frat, so I'd call it a success."

So it was true, thank goodness for the small things. "That's nice. What were you all doing?"

"Not much really, me and Finn mostly did busy work while the older brothers took care of the business. Why do you care?" he asked, looking up to her with a questioning gaze.

"I always care about my friends' endeavors" she defended, crossing her arms. "Had I known about it, I could have gone and supported you all. I could have given a small donation or something." She blushed as Puck eyed her suspiciously, but eventually he shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, sorry. You would've been out of place though, there weren't many girls there, much less young ones."

"Really?" She perked up a bit at that information, relieved to hear that Finn wasn't out flirting with his sister sorority's girls the morning after their night together. "Why is that?"

"We were at a golf club, it was mostly old dudes and former brothers. You're acting kinda weird" he added, pausing his shooting to stare at her as she fidgeted. "Is something up? Is it like, your _special time_ or something?"

"No" she squeaked, closing her eyes at the invasive question. "And even if it were, we're friends, but we do _not_ discuss that."

"Sorry, sorry. Trust me I don't wanna hear about it any more than you probably want to share. I was just wondering, since you're acting kinda squirrely." He turned back to his aimless shooting, reaching over the table to aim for a long shot on the nine. In the process of shooting, he pushed a little too hard, his hip bone knocking into the corner of the table. "Ow, shit" he scowled, placing his stick down. He lifted the bottom of his t-shirt, pulling down slightly on his jeans to inspect his hip for bruises. Rachel's eyes bugged as she saw the tattoo, an arrow pointing down reading 'I'm with stupid' pointing to his crotch area.

"The ladies love it" he grinned, pulling his shirt back down when his inspection was done. "No one gets on the ride without seeing the sign, guess you could call it a warning" he said with a wink, unknowingly making Rachel's chest crumble.

"Kind of like Finn's" she whispered, focusing on the balls on the table.

"Yeah...how did you know that?"

"He um, he told me about it once. A while back I think" she said dismissively, waving her hand.

"Wait a second...Rachel, look at me." She couldn't meet his eyes, she just couldn't. Instead, she picked up one of the balls on the table, rolling it into the corner pocket. "No, Rachel tell me you didn't" he whispered, walking over to look her in the eye.

The floodgates broke when she saw his questioning eyes, she saw the pity there. She really was a fool. A quiet sob escaped her lips as she leaned forward, resting her head against Puck's chest. One arm came up to hug her, but soon she felt him tugging on her elbow, leading her to the video game room, closed off from everyone else.

"You have to stop crying, I can't deal with that shit" he said softly, sitting her down on one of the plush chairs. He leaned on the arm of the chair across from her, waiting silently as she composed herself.

"I'm sorry. I, you can't tell anyone Noah, please. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."

"God Rachel, I can't believe this. I mean, I can, but I can't believe you did it."

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking up at him inquisitively. He thought this would happen?

"Anyone could see the sexual tension between you and Hud, neither of you did a good job of hiding that. I just didn't think you would give into it, I thought you got enough of a warning just by being friends with us. You know how he is."

"I thought, I don't know what I thought. It felt like, there was just more you know? I thought he actually liked me, I thought I should make a move-"

"And you did, a dumb one" he finished, shaking his head at her. "Okay, that was harsh, you're not dumb. You just shouldn't have done it, you shoulda made him wait for it. He would have, he does like you, I can tell."

"You really think so" she asked, looking up intently at his face.

"I do. He's different with you, he's better."

"Could've fooled me" she sighed, rubbing her temples. "He walked out on me last night, he just left, right after" she whispered.

"Shit, did he say anything? Or did he give you the sneak out?"

"No, he wasn't that disrespectful. He told me about the event, and said he had to be up early in the morning. He told me to get some sleep, then he left."

"That's better than anything else I've heard from him, you can feel good about that at least."

"Oh yes, I feel just wonderful. He gave me a _high five, see you later_, after I gave him my body. No big deal" she said sarcastically, throwing her hands up in the air. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Do you want to make this work?"

"Of course I do, I like him. I like him a lot" she whispered, looking down at her shoes.

"Then you have to fix this." He stood from his seat, pacing slightly as he spoke. "It's going to take some serious damage control, but if you're serious about this, it's fixable. God, I can't believe I'm doing this, I'm breaking like every rule in the Bro Code by helping you." He paused, watching as she too stood to approach him.

"Please, I'm your friend too and I need your help. You said yourself that you he's better with me, so you'll be helping us both" she pleaded, turning her big doe eyes on him. "What do I do to fix this?"

"You'd never guess it, but Finn is really fragile. He doesn't trust girls, like at all, so he gets in and does his damage before they get the chance to hurt him. That's your advantage, I think you might have slipped through his defenses, that's why he ran. He doesn't want you to have any more power over him, so poof, he's out. You're gonna have to show him that you care, but also that you aren't a toy waiting around for his whims. He needs to know that he can trust you, but he has to _want_ to."

"Right, okay. So I should talk to him right" she deduced, pacing as well. "I should tell him how I feel, lay it all out on the table. If I'm vulnerable, it'll appeal to his vulnerability and he might open up, right?"

"Hell no. You're gonna toy with his ass."

"_What_?"

"Don't be a bitch about it, but you're gonna play it cool. He probably knows that the sex mattered to you, but you can act like you're not upset about it being a one time thing. Make _him_ feel used. He's not used to that shit, it'll make him question everything, and draw him back in. Don't give him all your attention though, let him see that you have other options too. It'll drive him crazy, and force the ball in his court. He'll have to make a move, and if he doesn't, well...I guess it's not worth it."

"That's ridiculous, I'm not going to resort to manipulation. I care about Finn too much for that, I probably couldn't pull that off if I tried anyway" she pouted.

"You really are good for him" Puck said thoughtfully, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But you wouldn't be manipulating him, you'd be helping him to stop being such a stubborn ass and see what's right in front of him."

"I-"

_"Oh, hey. I'm not interrupting anything am I_?"

Rachel's breath caught in her throat as she heard his voice. She turned her head to see him, the familiar smirk plastered on his face, eyebrow arched as he eyed Puck's hand on her shoulder. He was standing about four feet from her, but it felt like so much more; everything had changed.

"Finally! Dude, where have you been? She's been trying to get me to play dance dance revolution for the last twenty minutes, you saved me" Puck said, not giving away any signs of the deep conversation they had just been having about the man he was working out a complicated handshake with.

She _loved_ Puck.

"I'm surprised you hadn't already caved" Finn laughed, "she can talk you into just about anything."

Her cheeks flamed at his words. Was he implying that she had talked him into having sex with her, was he blaming her? He's a grown man, she didn't talk him into anything. He wanted to do it just as much as she did, that she was sure of.

"Right? Anyways, did you fill out your time sheet?"

"Yeah, just got it done. You ready?" Finn asked, again avoiding eye contact with her.

"Just about, I wanna run one more rack before I go. Won't get to practice over break" he explained, walking towards the door. Rachel finally spoke up when Finn attempted to follow him.

"Finn, wait." He paused, turning around to face her finally. "Can we talk?"

Wordlessly Puck walked out the door, giving them the privacy they needed. Finn stuck his hands in his pockets as he looked at her, his face a mask of indifference.

"What's up Rach?"

"I haven't heard from you" she said softly, tucking her hair behind her ears. She could remember a time when he might have done that himself playfully, or disguised as playfully. Now, he only stared at her, a cloud of awkwardness surrounding them.

"You knew I had an event this morning, and classes after that. I've been running all day" he explained, rocking back on his heels.

"I don't mean to come off as pushy, I just, I kind of expected to at least hear from you at some point today. I didn't think you would ignore me."

"I'm not ignoring you. I'm standing here talking to you aren't I?" he shrugged, making her blood boil. She had seen him be a jerk, and she had seen him be a womanizer, but he had never made her feel this way before.

"Finn, you know what I mean. I think we should talk about last night..."

He removed his hands from his pocket, breaking eye contact with her as he toyed with the cushion on the chair in front of him. "Listen, we both had a little too much to drink, we'd been playing around, and we made a mistake. Not that it wasn't fun, cause it was. I mean, it was great, but it wasn't supposed to happen. We're friends, we're boys" he said, taking a step closer to her. She bit back her anger and hurt as he gave her a small smile. "Right?"

She nodded in response, not trusting herself to speak. That would only go one of two ways; she would lash out and curse him, or she would let the sadness take over and turn into a sobbing mess. Neither of those scenarios were acceptable, so she kept her mouth closed tight while she nodded to him. "Right."

"So, we're good" he asked, holding out a fist to her. Rachel touched her much tinier fist to his large one slowly. She froze when the electricity shot through her at just the slightest touch of his skin. His eyes locked onto hers, showing the only flicker of emotion she had seen since last night, but it was gone just as quickly and he immediately snatched his hand away.

"Um, cool. So uh, any big plans for break" he finally asked, leading her out of the small space and into the main room.

"I guess you could say that, nothing too special though" she answered softly, rethinking Puck's words in her head. He may have been onto something earlier.

"She sucker you into playing dance dance? Cause I would've paid to see that" Puck said as they approached him.

"Screw you" Finn shot back, flipping the bird to his mohawked friend.

"You should get him to play Sing It one day Rach, he might actually impress you with that one" Puck grinned, not flinching the slightest from Finn's glare.

"Really" she asked, intrigued at the tidbit of information in spite of herself. She looked up to him with a questioning gaze to find him rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh yeah, he used to _love_ to sing, we were even in Glee Club together. Your next birthday we're getting you drunk and taking you to another karaoke bar" he said, pointing a finger at Finn before turning back to her. "Once in high school, we went out to some shady karaoke place in town, and Finn got so wasted we talked him into getting on stage and singing S&M by Rihanna. It was fucking hilarious."

Rachel giggled behind her hand at the information as well as the deep shade of red his cheeks had turned. Well, that certainly explained the music notes laced into his tattoo.

"Ancient history dude, thanks for bringing it up" he mumbled. "And that's a negative on my next party, you keep this up and you might not even be invited."

"Bullshit, you wouldn't dream of having a party without me. I'm your wing man, you need me" he said, shooting Rachel a subtle wink.

"I never knew you sang Finn" she said, peeking up to look at him.

"Cause I don't, not anymore. You ready to go now" Finn asked, dismissing the subject. He narrowed his eyes at Puck before stepping into the bay to grab his things. As soon as his back was turned Puck mouthed to her _I'll explain later_. Rachel nodded silently, eager to hear all about the history of Finn being in a glee club, it sounded like a foreign concept.

"Yeah, yeah calm your tits Hudson." Puck called as he placed his stick up on the wall. "Have a good break Rachel" he said walking over to Rachel and sticking out his hand, wiggling his fingers until she joined in. She giggled at the childish handshake, Puck sticking his tongue out at her. She was so thankful for him, he was a great friend.

"You too Noah, be good. I don't know why I'm even telling you that, I'm sure you're going to come in with some sort of crude sexual story about your escapades" she said, rolling her eyes.

She looked over at Finn, standing just a few feet away. Rachel wondered if he was going to offer her some sort of goodbye too. Tentatively she took a step towards him, and he held his fist out to her yet again. She gave him a tight smile as she brought her fist up to his, fighting the ever present tingles before they both pulled their hands back and opened them in a fake explosion.

"See you later Rach" he said, nodding his head to her before he and Puck made their way out.

She stayed rooted to the spot as she watched the two of them leave. It hurt to watch him walk away again, to feel like a victim. She didn't want to be that girl, the one who got wronged by a boy and sat in her room watching sad movies and eating ice cream. She didn't want to be whiny and sob to herself at night over love lost. No, what she wanted, was Finn, plain and simple. She knew down in the depths of her heart that he felt it too, and she wanted him to accept it. She wanted him to miss her, she wanted him to love her.

Rachel was brought out of her thoughts as Will walked into the room, a stack of papers in hand. "Hey Rachel, just get done practicing?"

"Um, no, sort of" she mumbled, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"Oh, um, okay. Well I was actually just coming back here to close up for break, so you're gonna have to cut it short. Have a nice break okay" he said, giving her a gentle smile.

"You too Will, I'll see you next week" she said, returning his smile as she walked out of The Playground. She unlocked her screen and searched through her contacts until she found Puck's number, composing her message.

**About that damage control thing, I'm going to need some pointers...but I'm in.**

_**Thank you for reading, and for all of your support! I hope you are still enjoying! Please feel free to review, they make my day/night!**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the lyrics. **_

_**A/N: I know that Finn is difficult to deal with in this story guys, but bare with me. There is a plan. Thank you all for the reviews and support of this fic, I read each and every one and they mean so much to me. Also, to the reviewer going through a break up, I can't tell you if this chapter will help, but keep your head up. It happens to us all, but you don't need anyone else to make you happy, you have yourself for that. That's kinda sort of what this story is about; finding love but finding yourself first! Okay, enough being a girl and rambling. Special thanks to firewifesara for all of the support behind the scenes, if you haven't checked out her work you should do so! (Shutting up now.)**_

**_"Makes me that much stronger, makes me work a little bit harder, makes me that much wiser; thanks for making me a fighter. Made me learn a little bit faster, made my skin a little bit thicker, makes me that much smarter; thanks for making me a fighter."_**

**_-from 'Fighter'_**

Thanksgiving break turned out to be exactly what Rachel needed. She got to go back home, clear her mind, enjoy her family and friends, and prepare herself for what was to come. She found it was much easier to be logical about Finn when there was a good amount of distance between them. Noah had warned her, well threatened her really, that she shouldn't make any sort of contact with Finn while they were out of school. He reasoned that Finn deserved a time out, and that she should take the time for herself, make herself happy without the distraction. By the end, she felt so much better, rejuvenated, and more at ease.

She hadn't really expected to hear from Finn anyway, so she was extremely surprised on Thanksgiving when she received a 'Happy Thanksgiving Rachel' from him. She studiously ignored the message, and received a duplicate message about thirty minutes after she ignored the first one. She was then extremely pleased to hear from Noah that Finn had been asking about her, probably due to her lack of response. It had served as a major ego booster. Eventually, she decided that it would be okay for her to send out a mass message to most of the people in her contacts, and add Finn to that list. He would see that he hadn't been singled out like his message for her, and by responding cheerily he wouldn't assume that she was in a state of depression or anger.

The break also gave her more time to evaluate things once she had cleared her mind, see them for what they really were. She could see where things had gone wrong, and where she once felt like a fool, and a failure, she had come to see that wasn't the case at all. She was letting her heart lead, and while sometimes it can lead you down the roughest of paths, they're usually the most meaningful.

Had things not unfolded the way that they had, she may have never struck on the friendship that she and Noah had grown. She had been more than thankful for him lately than she could say, he really turned out to be such a good friend. True to his word, he stuck by her, supporting her, building her up, all the while giving her tidbits of information to help her to better understand Finn. A part of her knew that she should probably be more angry with Finn than she was, but she just couldn't. Not to say that she _wasn't_ angry, or that he didn't deserve to be yelled at and possibly slapped, but she found herself sympathizing with him too. He really had been dealt such a bad hand in love in the past. Had she been through some of the things that he had, she would probably have up all kinds of defenses as well. She might even be worse.

Noah told her all about Finn's past dealings with love, and the heartbreak they had brought him. Finn himself had told her before about his girlfriends cheating on him, and using him, but he hadn't let on just how much that had affected him, how it had affected his music. Finn had been a part of a glee club in high school, joining it in support of his girlfriend at the time. He had become sort of the spear head of the group, pushing them through the social ranks of school, leading most of the songs, and becoming co-captain of the club. Noah said he became so passionate about it all, he hadn't expected to but he loved to sing. He would serenade the girl frequently, inside the club meetings as well as out. When the girl became pregnant with Finn's child, he even sang to the baby's sonogram on occasion. That is until he found out the baby wasn't his; he had been humiliated.

The second girlfriend, the other cheater, was the icing though. As she was his co-captain of the club, he sang to and with her constantly, and there their romance re-blossomed. She pushed him and pushed him to sing, dubbing him her permanent duet partner and revolving their relationship around the music they shared. It turned out that she didn't care as much about Finn as she did his voice however. As soon as the new transfer guy with a phenomenal voice showed up, taking Finn's solos, she started seeing him behind Finn's back, then eventually just dumped him. He had attempted to swoon the girl and win her back, dedicating songs to her at rehearsals, and even writing a song for her, but it was no use. She didn't care at all, she had only been using him.

After that his musical career was over. He quit the Glee club, and Puck had followed him, being the good friend that he is. They had both mainly focused on football from there on out, and toughening themselves up. There is where the defenses started to grow, and they had been ever since. Rachel didn't know the girls who had wronged him and in turn caused her all of this frustration, but she had a strong desire to hunt them down and chop them in the throat, especially since they were singers. That would show them.

But, there was nothing she could do about Finn's past, all she could do was deal with what she had now. The one truth that she couldn't shake, was that she really liked Finn, and she knew deep down that no matter how hard he tried to hide it, he cared about her too. He had shown it in so many little ways before, that was what had really drawn her into him. But she _wouldn't_ stand to be treated with disrespect, or pushed around because he was afraid. Yes he had been a victim, but he had chosen to turn himself into the villain, and _that_ he would have to be broken from. She hadn't forgotten the way he made her feel when he walked out, the way he had almost victimized her, and she wouldn't. Rather, she would use those emotions as well to push her. Noah hadn't been wrong when he said this was going to be difficult, she could see that now, but she had to believe that it would be worth it in the end. She knew it would.

* * *

Rachel walked into The Playground after her classes on the first day back, energized and excited to start practice. It was odd, having been gone from the place for so many days, but she found herself feeling a sense of home immediately. As soon as she walked in, she saw the familiar broad back, clad in a plain white tee shirt. She took a deep breath, and fixed the smile on her face as she took a step forward. It was showtime.

"Hi Finn." She smiled as she approached his table. He turned at the sound of her voice, his eyes shining in that familiar way that she missed so much. Her heart clenched in her chest at the look on his face, he looked excited, like he had missed her; but she soldiered on, fighting against it.

"Rachel, hey. How was your break" he asked, pausing his game and putting down his stick to talk to her.

"It was very pleasant, thank you for asking. I needed the break." Finn nodded, twisting his pool cue between his fingers. His mouth opened to continue when she spotted Will coming out of his office. "Will, its good to see you again" she grinned, walking away from Finn to approach her coach enthusiastically. "How did the break treat you?"

"Rachel, it's good to see you too" he said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "My break was great, I trust yours was too."

"It was wonderful."

"Glad to hear it. Are you ready to get back in the game" he asked, signaling toward the table. "You guys have been out of it for a while."

"Absolutely! I-" She stopped short when she heard the door open again, turning her head to find Puck walking in the doors. "Noah!" she cried, rushing over to where he stood. She bounced forward, working out an out of sorts, nonsensical handshake with him before leaning in to give him a hug.

"Does your back burn, cause he's staring holes into you" he whispered as they embraced. "He's gonna kick my ass." Rachel fought back a laugh at the information. She didn't really want Finn to be jealous of Puck, or think that she was some sort of floozy who flirted around with all of her guy friends, but it served him right to be a tad bit jealous. She would've gladly bounced forward and hugged him too but no, he was the one who put a strain on their relationship. It would do him some good to miss out on some of the perks.

Blaine, Mike, and Tina filed into the room right behind them and Will immediately called the team meeting to order. She exchanged pleasant greetings with her teammates as they bustled around until they finally surrounded Will. She cushioned herself between Mike and Blaine, giving them warm smiles as they turned their attention to the coach.

"Okay guys, first of all it's good to have you all back. I hope the break was good to you, you ate all you wanted, and were lazy while you could be cause its over now. We really have to crack down from here on out, we only have a week and a half until the Tournament." The group erupted into excited murmurs around him. "I got our information packet this morning, so here are the details. As you know, the tournament is going to be in Tennessee this year, and the whole team has been cleared to go, free of charge, the school will be paying for our lodging and bus. However, only three of you are going to be allowed to play in the actual tournament."

"_What_?"

"_You're joking right_?"

The group broke into whispers at the new information. All of this time they had all been expecting to play, practicing countless hours and preparing themselves. It was more than a little disheartening to hear that they couldn't all participate. How would they choose the three anyway?

"Calm down guys, I know it sucks, but those are the rules. My hands are tied. I'm going to monitor you closer from here on out to determine who our three should be, but ultimately I'm going to let you guys put it to a vote. I don't want any of you to feel singled out, or like you aren't good enough. You've all come so far, and I'm proud of each and every one of you, I want you to know that, okay? Alright, let's get started."

The group broke apart, each of them pulling out their pool sticks and heading for tables. As usual, Mike and Tina approached a table together, Blaine walked over to the back corner table alone, Puck walked over to the bay to pull out his stick, and she was left standing alone with Finn. She could see him shifting over in her direction, but before he could speak, she shot him a polite smile and turned away. She couldn't be sure, because she didn't look that hard, but it almost looked like Finn's face fell. She smiled brightly as she headed over to Blaine's table. She had never even really held a conversation with him, and she was ready for that to change. It was about time she saw past Finn, and built relationships with other people as well.

"Want a partner" she asked, earning a surprised smile from Blaine.

"What did I do to deserve the honor" he asked as she searched the wall for a stick to shoot with.

"We've never really played together much, we're teammates and I feel like I don't even know you" she shrugged, picking out her stick and bringing it over to his table.

"Um, Rachel. This is really nice and all, really. And, I don't mean to be a jerk but, you do know that-"

"You're gay, I know" she finished, smiling at his expression. "I have two gay dads, my gaydar is pretty spot on. So no, I'm not hitting on you" she grinned.

"Oh, okay. I was just making sure" he chuckled, racking the balls up. "Not that I'm in the closet or anything, I just wasn't sure if you knew. You're right, we haven't ever really talked before." He cleared his throat and extended a hand to her, introducing himself in an exaggerated fashion. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Blaine Anderson." She giggled at his dramatics, shaking his hand and offering him a curtsy.

"Rachel Berry" she stated, playing along. "So, Mr. Anderson who isn't in the closet, do you have a boyfriend around here?"

"Single and Fabulous" he stated, with just the slightest tinge of bitterness. "What about you" he asked, shooting subtle exaggerated glances toward Finn then raising a questioning eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry, what" she asked, peeking around to make sure nobody was paying attention to them. "You think...Finn?"

"Well it's just, he hasn't really taken his eyes off of you since we started that meeting" he explained, removing the rack and walking over to her before he broke. "And being of my sexual orientation, it's kind of my job to be good at reading discreet signals from people." Rachel's cheeks pinked as she took in his words. He could see it too? "So...?" he asked, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"I, um, No. I mean, we're just friends. It's nothing like that" she answered, waving her hand as a signal for him to go ahead and break. He bent over the table and spread the balls, giving her a small smile when he stood back up.

"I get the feeling that there's a lot more to this story" he said. Curse him and his attentiveness. Luckily, he spared her the trouble of having to evade his suspicions. "It's none of my business, I was just making an observation. For what its worth, I think you two would go really well together though." Okay, she was starting to really like Blaine.

He missed his next shot and Rachel walked over, bending over the table to take her own. She lined up her shot on the two ball, using bottom english to draw the ball back and set herself up for a good shot on the seven next. Her tip proved to be too big though, the bottom didn't work as planned and she missed her next shot. "Crap."

"You should look into buying yourself a good pool stick" Blaine offered, stepping up to the table. "You can get whatever size tip you want, and get a custom case and designs on it and stuff. They're cool, and they shoot a whole lot better than these piece of crap sticks on the walls."

"I hadn't really considered it. Are they very expensive?"

"Depends on what you get. I got mine online, and I found some promotional codes to get discounts. I could show you, let you use them and pick yourself out one if you want" he suggested, sinking his next shot and looking up at her with a friendly smile.

"That would be great, I appreciate it" she smiled, looking up in time to see Finn staring at her from across the room. He and Noah had ended up playing together, and from the looks of it they were already nearing the end of their game. She gave him a small smile and nod before she turned back to her game. No extra attention for him? Check.

* * *

"Good practice everybody, I'll see you guys tomorrow" Will called before he left, ending the practice for the evening.

She had managed to beat Blaine a few times, and that she was extremely proud of. He was a good sport, and part of her wondered if he had let her win, but for now she would just accept that she had won. They had eventually been instructed to switch partners, and she wound up on the table with Tina. The girl had come a long way since that practice, and she found herself feeling a deep sense of pride for the girl. They didn't really talk all that much, but she found that she got along really well with her. They maintained easy conversation as they played, discussing Mike's families traditions on Thanksgiving, the different types of pool sticks to buy, and the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars. By the end of practice, Rachel really felt like she had just made two good new friends.

When everyone had filed out of the room for the evening, Rachel finally made her way over to Noah and Finn's table. "Well look who finally came over" Finn called to Puck, smirking at her as she approached. He crossed his arms over his chest, staring her down, evidently thinking she was breaking down and coming to him after her day of relative radio silence.

"I didn't want to embarrass you at such an important practice with my mad skills" she retorted with a cocky grin. Make what he wanted of that one.

"Well I shit on his ego anyway when I wiped the floor with him" Noah spoke from his position, lined up on the eight ball. He knocked it in the corner pocket smoothly, standing up and dusting off his shoulders dramatically. Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Bullshit dude, we're tied" Finn countered, standing up to rack the balls.

"Tie breaker then" Puck smirked, puffing his chest out. "Don't go anywhere Rach, you're about to witness greatness."

"What if she wants to play" Finn interjected, looking to her as he racked. "Did you wanna play? We could play cutthroat like usual."

Puck discreetly stepped on her foot, a reminder of how to react to his suggestion. "No thanks, I actually have plans so I'm gonna go ahead and get out of here" she answered, hoping that Brittany would be in her room and keep her company tonight. She knew he wouldn't be expecting that answer, there was never a time that Finn suggested doing anything with her that she didn't go along with it. It was time for a change.

"Oh, okay." She bit back a giggle, watching as Puck moved to stand behind Finn. He smiled exaggeratedly and gave her the thumbs up before flipping the switch.

"It's cool. You're too good to hang out with your boys? You can't talk to us anymore? It's whatever" Puck said, sniffing in mock sadness as he leaned on Finn's shoulder. "You desert us over break, and then you don't even want to spend time with us when you get back. I just don't know what to make of her, do you?" Both boys shook their heads dramatically at her as she rolled her eyes at them. "Are we at least gonna play tonight?"

"I don't know if I should. I still think you're a cheater."

"Huh?" Rachel had to actively keep the laugh from bursting out of her lips at Finn's perplexed expression. His brows furrowed, his lips scrunched up, and his eyes darted between the two of them.

"You're not the only one I beat the shit out of on the regular Hud. I've been kicking her ass at Fun Run since last week. You've won, what? Zero times?"

She narrowed her eyes at him as she stalked forward, poking him square in the chest. Fun Run was an app for a game that she had downloaded to her phone recently. She added Puck as a friend and they could race and attack one another throughout the game. It was fun, but infuriating. He always seemed to get more of the special boxes than her, and pull through at the last minute when she managed to get in the lead. "I'm going to win, and when I do, I'm going to broadcast it to the world. Then I'll never play again so you can't redeem yourself." She laughed at Puck's dropped jaw.

"I might be a little intimidated by that if I thought you had a prayer of winning."

"Oh, yeah, I've played that game a couple of times" Finn finally piped in. She bit her lip to keep from giggling at his expression, his measly attempt to join in on she and Puck's bonding.

"Right. Well, I guess I'll see you boys tomorrow." Rachel took a step towards Finn, holding out a fist for him to bump. She then turned to Puck, making up another handshake on the spot and laughing as they fought over who was the better player. When she finally turned to go, she had almost reached the door when she felt a hand on her elbow.

"Hey, wait up a second" Finn said, pulling her over to the side.

"What's up?"

"I should ask you the same thing...what was that" he asked, looking down at her.

"What was what?"

"You act like I hardly exist, but all of a sudden you and Puck are like best friends from Pre-school" he whispered, looking back over his shoulder.

"That's ridiculous Finn, Noah and I have always been friends, you know that. And for the record, I wasn't aware I was acting as if you didn't exist" she lied, blinking innocently.

"You've spoken like two words to me Rachel, that's not like you. Are you mad about...you know..." he trailed off, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

"About...?"

"You know what about Rachel" he pressed, leaning down to speak a little more privately.

She took a deep breath, and steadied her resolve. "No, I'm not mad. I'll admit, I was thrown for a loop at first, but it is what it is. You made your intentions very clear after, and I'm not one to play games or waste my time" she shrugged, peering up at him. His jaw locked, and he kept his lips in a tight line as he stared down at her. She refused to unlock him from her challenging gaze until he finally broke, turning his head away to the side. "Look, don't worry about it, I'm not" she shrugged. "We're friends, right" she quoted back to him, feeling a deep satisfaction at the way his eyes narrowed as he nodded to her, rubbing his words right back into his face. "Good, well I really should get going" she said, checking the time on her watch for effect. "Goodnight."

Rachel waved goodbye for a final time before she exited the room. She stuck her hands in the pockets of her jacket as she walked, smiling into the crisp air. It had only been her first day back, and she already felt like she had made so much progress, she felt so good about herself. She felt a great deal stronger, smarter, tougher than she once was. She supposed she had Finn to thank for that, he had actually made her tougher, and more open in a lot of respects. He brought out her intense drive to succeed, showed her how outgoing she could be, showcased her fierce competitive nature, and pushed her forward in more ways than she had realized. He was actually a good friend, in his own way. And that was her next objective. He wanted to be her friend, well that's exactly what he would be. She had spent so much time giving him 'the boyfriend' treatment, her crush on him causing her to bend to his every whim. It would be more than beneficial for him to see what it felt like to have that taken away. It's what he asked for, right?

_**Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying! Reviews are love (at least I hope)!**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee, any of the lyrics included in this story, Krispy Kreme (unfortunately), or Kevin Hart. Yes, I am obsessed with him too. **_

_**Sorry for the wait guys, time has just gotten away from me! But, here I am with a new chapter, enjoy!  
**_

"_**I'm gonna getcha it's a matter of fact. I'm gonna getcha don't you worry about that. You can bet your bottom dollar, in time, you're gonna be mine. Just like I should, I'll getcha good."**_

_**-from 'Gonna Getcha Good'**_

Rachel giggled as she laid back on her bed, knees propped up. The little picture of the tree falling, crying out for help in the middle of the forest was making her crack up. It was the third funny picture Finn had sent to her in the last two days. It had been quite a while since he had sent her anything like that, and it was a nice change for it to start back. She had a feeling she knew why of course, a little mohawked bird told her that Finn had been dropping her name quite often lately. It was progress, but she was still keeping him at a distance. She indulged him in an 'lol' or a smiley emoticon when he sent the pictures, but never held any worthwhile conversation with him, and she was still yet to join him for a game of pool. Instead she opted to play with Puck, Blaine or Tina. She could tell that the longer it went on the more miffed he seemed to get about it, and that only made her smile.

She sent him back a 'haha' and rolled over onto her stomach, debating on what she should do next. Her classes were over, and normally she would be eating right about now, but Brittany was being swamped with dance team rehearsals, so she wasn't there to join her. Obviously she wasn't going to run to The Playground and have dinner with Finn either, that was definitely not a part of the plan. So she opened her contacts and tried Puck.

**_Have you eaten?_ **

It was only a few seconds before her phone buzzed with a reply.

**Depends on how you mean ;)**

Rachel rolled her eyes at the one track mind of her friend, but continued on.

_**Not even going there. I want dinner. Feed me.**_

**Can't woman. Frat meeting in a little bit.**

Rachel pouted slightly, there went those plans. She was going to starve.

_**Oh. Well that's unfortunate for me. **_

**Actually, maybe not.**

Her interest was definitely piqued. She chewed her lower lip as she typed, wondering how she could possibly benefit from them having a Frat meeting. Maybe they would be having a lesson on how to properly treat women, that would certainly be helpful. Not so much her growling stomach, but helpful nonetheless.

_**How so...**_

_**All of us are meeting in The Playground for the meeting. ALL of us...I think you should have some fun with that.**_

She smirked as she re-read his message, jumping up to check her appearance. She smoothed over her hair, straightened out her clothes, and grabbed her keys. She had heard Puck say that he thought Finn was jealous of their newly blossoming friendship, and he had even gone as far as to say that if he got the feeling that there was something going on between them Finn would 'kick his ass'. It was flattering, and gave her a really heady feeling, like he actually did care, so she could only imagine how he would react if she happened to run into Josh tonight.

* * *

"Hey guys" Rachel sang, walking into The Playground. She was instantly met a matching smirk from Puck, standing in the bay alongside Finn. Both boys walked out as she came over. She completely ignored that Finn happened to have on _the_ gray shirt from that night, offering him a small smile as they approached.

"Sup munchkin" Puck said, walking out and slapping fists with her. "Here to practice?"

"Yes actually. I thought I would get in some practice and distract myself from my ravenous stomach."

"Wahh Wahh" Puck teased, poking her in the stomach gently.

"You won't be laughing when my stomach starts feeding on itself to fill the void and I die."

"Such a drama queen" he chuckled with a roll of his eyes. "Why don't you walk over there and get something to eat." He nodded his head toward the windows at the far wall connecting The Playground to Wings and Things, the small campus diner. Looking through the windows, she could see the crowded tables clearly. It always amazed her how full they were at all times, their prices were ridiculous, especially for college students. She usually ignored the existence of the small place.

"Treat yourself to some Wings and Things" he continued.

"See, I would, but the way my bank account is set up. I don't think I can afford it" she said, grinning at Puck while Finn's eyes widened.

"You didn't turn her onto Kevin Hart did you" Finn asked incredulously, looking between the two of them.

"Alright, alright, alright" Puck started, eying Rachel expectantly.

"You gon' learn today" she finished in her best imitation of Kevin Hart, bursting into giggles and slapping Puck's hand in a high five.

"Oh God, you've created a monster" Finn laughed, shaking his head at the pair of them. The door opened behind them as more of their brothers filed into the room. Her smile grew when her eyes landed on the brother she had been counting on seeing.

"Yo" Josh called, nodding at the boys before his eyes landed on her. He did a double take, then re-routed his steps to approach her. "Have we met, you look really familiar."

"We have actually, once. It was at a house party."

"Right, of course. It would make sense to dream up a face as beautiful as yours, but something told me it was real. I'm Josh" he introduced himself, extending a hand to her.

"Rachel." She reached her hand out, but instead of shaking it, he turned it over and brought the back of her hand to his lips to place a kiss. He really wasn't a bad looking guy, but he was a little too suave for her, he came off as fake. Not to mention she already had her sights set elsewhere.

"It's a pleasure Rachel, again." She watched from the corner of her eye as Finn clenched his fists at his sides, possibly from the affectionate act. At least that's what she hoped.

"So what are you doing with these two? One of my little brothers lucky enough to call you theirs" he asked, the end of his sentence punctuated by a loud half-choke, half-cough from Finn.

"Heck no, she's one of the boys, right bro" Puck announced, tossing an arm around Finn's shoulders. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling at her brilliant friend, eying the tense set of Finn's jaw as he simply nodded.

"Oh. Well then where is your boyfriend tonight? Someone like you surely has someone wrapped around that pretty little finger."

She giggled at the flattering words, wondering if it was possible for him to acquire diabetes from all of the sugar on his tongue. She wasn't naive enough to fall for his smooth talk though, she was much too smart for that. She knew that's what he really wanted, the fact that he'd tried to talk her into following him home from that party on the first night they met wasn't something she had forgotten. Even so, he was serving as very helpful to her agenda, so she kept up her end of the banter.

"Unattached actually. Though I won't say that I don't have anyone wrapped around my finger" she teased, enjoying the questioning look she received from Finn and the look of pride on Puck's face.

"Ah, shopping around huh? Because I happen to be on the market" he grinned, giving her an appreciative once over. The way Finn tensed up across from her, and the slight narrowing of his eyes definitely made her want to flirt more, see how far she could push him, but she knew that would only be detrimental to her plan in the long run. She didn't want him to think she was some floozy.

"I'm not really looking for anything right now." It wasn't a complete lie. She had already found it, it was just a matter of attaining it. "Just having fun, enjoying myself and all."

"I'm just saying, I can be a world of fun...if you're ever interested."

"Is it six already? We better get this meeting started" Finn piped in loudly, casually taking a step forward to partially block Rachel from Josh with his own body. "You guys go ahead, I just need to um, check the bay for...stuff. Make sure everything is in order and all" he declared, placing a hand on Puck's shoulder and subtly pushing him forward.

"Shit, it is. Okay hurry up dude" Puck answered, taking mercy of Finn. He tugged Josh by the elbow towards the table the other guys occupied, starting a conversation about selling krispy kreme doughnuts to raise money at the next fund raiser.

"Uh, sorry about that" Finn said, flexing his tense hands out. "He's kind of, um, forward."

"It's quite alright, flattering actually" she shrugged. "Guess I was wrong about never seeing him again. I wonder if he really does remember me or he was just being flirtatious. I suppose it would make sense if he did remember me, he did seem quite fascinated with my taste.." she joked, knowing that would get a rise out of him. She watched his jaw grind before he turned his back on her, making his way over to the bay while she followed behind him. "Can you hand me some balls so I can practice?"

"Uh, yeah. I'll carry them out for you." He grabbed the nearest tray of balls and stepped out of the bay with them, signaling for her to follow. He walked purposefully toward the back corner table, the one farthest from view of the table occupied by his brothers. Oh Finn, he didn't really think it would be that easy, did he?

"Finn, you can just sit them here. This table is the most level" she said innocently, pausing at the table directly across from the group.

"Um, are you sure? I was just playing on that one earlier, it's...okay. The diamonds are really clear, and the felt is extra rich cause it's not played on often and-"

"I'm sure" she cut him off, taking the tray from his stubborn hands. "Go, you're going to be late for your meeting, Shoo!" She shooed him away with her hands gently, fighting not to giggle at his crestfallen expression. His pout really was too adorable, his lips puckered slightly, his brows dipping together. She smiled as he shuffled away from her, off toward the table.

Rachel walked over to the wall to grab herself a stick, laid it down on the table, and set about racking up her balls. She positioned herself over the table, making sure to poke her behind up, then drew back and pushed forward with as much force as she could muster. The balls spread beautifully, and she took a step back to admire her work. Looking up, she found that a few of the heads had turned at the loud noise, most wearing matching looks of approval. There was one red face however, bouncing looks from one boy shamelessly staring at her to the next. Her smile widened immensely as she decided on her next shot, bending again over the table, this time with her behind facing them. Yeah, it was a little cheap, but for all they knew this was her best shot. The double meaning wasn't lost on her as she stood from making the shot, discreetly looking back at Finn, his gaze never wavering from her.

* * *

She had just finished her fourth solo game when she heard soft clapping behind her. Turning, she found a smirking Josh standing there. She looked past him to see the rest of the boys still sitting absorbed in the meeting; well, with the exception of one very tall, messy haired brother.

"Aren't you supposed to be in that meeting" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

"It's almost over. But it was mostly for the newbies anyway" he explained. "I'm seniority, so I'm really just here to supervise. Besides, I kept getting distracted...you seem to be really good at that."

"You've been watching me" she accused, arching her eyebrows purposefully at him.

"Couldn't seem to help myself. I figured you would be used to the attention, you certainly deserve it" he flirted, picking one of the balls out of the pocket to toy with.

"That's very kind, but-"

"It's the truth" he assured her, raking his eyes up and down her frame. "Maybe I could play with you sometime. You could team me a thing or two" he said suggestively, smirking at her. "Or visa versa."

"What kind of girl do you take me for? I don't just go around sharing my tricks with everyone." Unless you're Finn, she shamefully added in her mind.

"My apologies" he chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender. "I have a hard time behaving myself around beautiful women" he said, drawing a small blush out to her cheeks. "Ah, you're blushing. Has no one told you how beautiful you look today?"

"Eww, that would be weird" Puck interrupted, walking over to them, Finn hot on his heels. She hadn't realized the meeting was over, Josh was serving as a good distraction. Not good enough though, as soon as she felt Finn stand next to her (a little closer than would probably be considered comfortable), she could feel that pull again. Everything in her cried out to shrink into his side, to stare up into his eyes, place her hand in his and tell him that he had nothing to worry about. That wouldn't get her very far though, so she ignored his dizzying proximity and turned her attention back to Josh.

"You know, that's actually what you said to me the night we met at that party."

"I think I do remember that, and I still stand by that opinion" he pressed, taking a step closer to her. Maybe she was imagining it, but she could've sworn she saw Finn twitch from the corner of her eye. "I'm surprised this is my first time seeing you since that night. You do go to school here, right?"

"I do. And I'm in here with these two usually" she added, nudging Finn in the side as he was the closest to her. "You would think we might have run into one another by now."

"Yeah, you would think so. Hopefully I'll be running into you again soon." She simply smiled in response, figuring that was the safest response to not lead the boy on, and not give too much away to let Finn know that he was in the clear. Josh returned her smile, still holding the pool ball in his hands. "Are you sure I can't persuade you into playing a game" he asked. She could almost feel the tension rolling off of Finn as he awaited her answer. Before she could think of her best response, he had spoken up himself.

"You were actually about to leave, right Rach? She's been starving since she got here" he supplied, putting his arm loosely around her shoulder to guide her towards the door. "Do you need a ride somewhere? I can't leave but I'm sure Puck could-"

"I thought she was going to Wings and Things" Puck grinned, trailing behind them with Josh.

"I'm actually hungry too, did you want to go together" Josh urged, ever persistent.

"Too expensive" Finn answered automatically, shooting him down as he continued to try and separate them.

"It can be my treat" Josh argued, stepping up beside of them and placing himself directly in front of her. "What do you say?"

Finn's grip tightened slightly on her arm, and she knew better than to push him too far. So she decided to play it safe, and let the chips fall where they may. "Josh, all of this is very flattering, really, but I wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm sure you're a lovely person (lie), but I'm just not interested in anything other than friendship right now."

"I'm not asking you to marry me sweetheart_." _Immediately her mind was flooded with images of Finn sliding that fake plastic ring onto her finger the first day they went fishing, and her stomach did somersaults. It still hurt, to think of how good things once were, compared to the stress and complications that they were under now. "It's just dinner, dinner with a _friend_. Come on, are you really gonna turn down a free dinner" he challenged with a smirk.

"You know what, you're right" she nodded, sliding out from Finn's grasp. "I'd be glad to have a friendly dinner with you, as long as you promise no funny business" she said sternly, only cracking a small smile once he had agreed. "Bye boys, I'll see you tomorrow" she chirped, walking over to give Puck a side hug. She purposely nodded to a silently fuming Finn, shooting him what was hopefully not an amused smile before turning her back on him. If he didn't feel the need to say anything, then she sure wasn't about to back down.

"See you guys later" Josh called over his shoulder, placing a hand at the small of her back and walking them out.

* * *

Josh led Rachel to an empty table right along the wall before taking off toward the counter to order for them. She fidgeted in her seat slightly, not extremely comfortable with this little predicament, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She didn't necessarily feel guilty about having dinner with him, she _was_ single, but he was by no means the kind of guy that she would approach regularly. The more he talked, the more she realized what a horn dog he was, and she didn't find that attractive at all. Finn, and even Puck might be womanizers, but at least they were usually upfront about it, not hiding behind too sweet words and over-flattery. She rolled her eyes to herself, and reached down when her phone buzzed against her thigh. She opened it to find a message from Finn himself. Of course he would text her.

**I hope he doesn't order mozzarella sticks, they make him gassy.**

She giggled aloud at the childish message, imagining the look on his face as he had typed it. It was too cute, she just couldn't resist responding.

**_Eww. Now I'm going to have to run if he returns with those._**

**You can come back here, and bring the food _:)_**

**_What part of 'my ravenous stomach' did you not get earlier? There might not be a plate left when I'm done. He's surprising me with my meal, I hope it's a good one. _**

**He's cheap, he might bring you back a kids meal. Especially if he's ordering based on your size.**

She rolled her eyes, craning her neck to try and see into The Playground. She could just make out Finn, sitting in the bay, his laptop open in front of him. His attention was not on it however, he appeared to be doing the same thing that she was, his neck craned in the direction of the cafe.

**_Jerk. I don't know why I'm still texting you, I'm being extremely rude. _**

**So? He's my brother, but he's a tool.  
**

Rachel scoffed at the irony, fighting the urge to lash out at him. Turning her head, she found Josh approaching the cash register with plates of food.

**_In any case, my food is here, and I'm about to chow down. So leave me alone, do your homework or whatever you're pretending to work on in there._  
**

**Creeper...why are you watching me? And Josh isn't even there yet and you're pushing me away :(  
**

_**You wouldn't know that if you weren't creeping on me, now would you?**_

**Touche****.**

Huh, he didn't even try to deny it. Shaking her head, she looked up towards the mirror again, sticking her tongue out in his direction. She couldn't be sure if he saw it from the distance, but it made her feel good anyway. Josh finally reached the table, setting the trays (thankfully with no mozzarella sticks) down in front of her.

_**Well oh stalker of mine, I'm sure by now you know that my food is actually here.  
**_

She grinned, setting her phone down on the table as she smiled sweetly at Josh. He stood right next to her, trying shamelessly to catch a glimpse down her shirt as he sorted out their meals.

_**See any mozzarella sticks? Offer still stands, you can run it all over here.**_

_**None, we're good. Now leave me alone :p**_

She couldn't even feel sorry for being rude to Josh, the entirety of the time she spent text messaging, he kept his eyes glued to her body. She looked up to catch his tongue coming out to lick his lips and she frowned. By now she was used to being stared at by Finn, but that always made her feel beautiful and strong, not like a piece of meat to be devoured.

**Fine. Come by here when Josh leaves, I have something to show you.**

* * *

After the much too long not-date, when she had waved off all of Josh's offers to take her home and sent him on his way, Rachel made her way over to The Playground. She had no idea what Finn could possibly have to show her, but she was definitely curious to see. She pulled back the door and walked inside, stepping up to the bay to find him at his laptop.

"Hey" he called, pulling off his headphones and immediately standing.

"You said you had something for me...or did you lure me here under false pretenses" she questioned, narrowing her eyes in playful suspicion. His cheeks pinked slightly before he turned around himself, searching around to find whatever it was. It was adorable watching him flounder around, she had to keep her eyes off of the strong muscles of his back, accentuated perfectly in the gray t-shirt that still haunted her dreams before he turned again.

"Right, umm I found this in here, is it yours?" Finn held up a small powder blue jacket, lined with rhinestones, baring a Hanna Montana emblem on the top right breast.

"Seriously?" Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the obvious child's apparel.

"It's tiny, you're tiny; I figured maybe it would be yours, Oh well, guess not" he said, his words jumbling together in almost one breath. He tossed the jacket back onto the counter, dismissing it instantly. "So how did your date go?"

Ah, so this was his angle. He knew that jacket wasn't hers, he wasn't crazy, this was a trap.

"It was not a date Finn, it was just a friendly dinner. When have you ever turned down a free dinner?"

"I'd learn to if it was the school whore offering it" he scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Funny, I thought Noah held that title. Or you" she said airily, sticking out her tongue at his glower. He continued his relentless glower, and she finally broke under his gaze. "If it makes you feel any better, I won't be seeing him again. At least I hope not this time" she admitted, wringing her hands together. "He was, um-"

"A total tool, right" he deduced, a small smile sprouting on the corner of his lips.

"Of sorts" she relented, rolling her eyes. "I think I need a shower from the way he molested me with his eyes the whole time, and God forbid I mention the things he was steadily trying to persuade me into doing with him one day" she shivered slightly, reliving some of his more crude ''subtle' comments. "And the food wasn't even that good."

"You should have stayed here. We could have gotten pizza delivered or something, saved yourself all that trouble."

"Oh well, what's done is done now" she shrugged, turning away from the bay to make her exit. She wondered if this was it, he had gotten the information he wanted. Maybe that was all he needed, then again, maybe...

"Wait" he called, stepping out to follow her. "I still haven't eaten yet, it's not too late to order that pizza. You can hang out here if you want. We can shoot some games, make fun of Josh, hang out like old times" he said softly, stepping into her personal bubble of space to peer down into her eyes. "I'll even give you some of my pizza."

"I don't think so, I should get back to my room. I have an early morning" she added spitefully, mentally patting herself on the back.

"You can go have dinner with people you barely know, but you can't spend a little time with me" he challenged, reaching out to grip her elbow gently. "We used to hang out all the time, eat, play games, we did everything together...we were like best friends" he breathed, trying to catch her in his deep brown pools. "You barely talk to me now, and I can't even remember the last time we did something together."

"Who's fault is that" she challenged, hoping that her eyes reflected exactly how she felt as she finally leveled him. She watched as he shrunk back slightly, his hand falling from her elbow as he looked down at the ground in defeat. His brows scrunched together, and her heart ached to reach out with her fingertip and smooth the line, but she couldn't. Instead she sighed, shaking the thought from her mind. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow Finn. Hope you enjoy your pizza" she offered. Without giving him a chance to respond she turned on her heel, heading for the door before she changed her mind.

_**Thanks for the read & all of your reviews/support! Hope you're enjoying! I'll update as soon as I can!**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the lyrics; though I'm completely obsessed with these particular lyrics. **_

"_**My heart's too drunk to drive I should stay away from you tonight, but in this black out state of mind baby all I want is you tonight. When my head tells me no, my heart tells me go so I'm hitting the road cause I, I know my heart's too drunk to drive but I'm on my way to you, yeah I'm on my way to you tonight."**_

_**-from 'On My Way' by the lovely Lea Michele **_

It was the weekend before they were to leave town for the tournament, and Rachel was slowly losing it. There really was no way that it was healthy how much she thought about Finn, how much she missed spending time with him. Santana and Brittany served as a well enough distraction from him usually, but he was always there in the back of her mind. It was becoming harder and harder to pretend that being in the same room with him was no big deal, and acting as if his every text message he sent didn't send her heart galloping. The longer the little limbo they were in went on, the more he seemed to miss her as well, and that wasn't a help to her carefree persona either. According to Puck, Finn was in about the same boat as she was. He hadn't been running off on random booty calls, wasn't going out as much anymore, and when he did he always came straight home, alone. In spite of all the seeming progress, he was still yet to admit any feelings for her. It was infuriating, and made her want to shake the truth out of his giant body, but at the end of the day she knew that she had to go at his pace.

Even so, right now she was getting antsy. After her last class, instead of going to The Playground to practice as usual, Tana had picked her up and insisted on taking her out for dinner. She had reasoned that since she wasn't one of the ones chosen to participate in the big tournament, practice shouldn't be the highest thing on her list of priorities; getting her grub on with her hottest girlfriend should be. Unable to deny the logic behind that, she had accepted the offer and gone along with her. Though it was fun to catch up with her friend and have girl time, now she was back in her dorm room, alone with only one thing on her mind.

She wanted to see Finn, _bad_.

Just the thought of his bright smile when she walked through those doors made her thoughts blurry, her heart clench with longing. She nodded to herself as she made her decision, swooping around the room to collect her keys and phone hastily. She gave herself a once over in the mirror, and followed her heart to The Playground.

* * *

Rachel spotted him even before she walked inside, the smile stretching across her face at just the slightest sight of him. Surprisingly, he didn't even look up when she entered the room. She took another step forward, waiting for him to acknowledge her, but he still didn't. Confused, she paused her advance, taking in the sight of him.

Finn was bent over the pool table, cue in hand as he lined up on his shot, his brow was furrowed in concentration. That must be why he had yet to notice her, he was practicing extra hard. It made sense really; he was of course chosen as one of the three to compete next week and was therefore instructed to up his game to its highest level, they had to bring their A game. Rachel watched in fascination as he jerkily pushed forward, his stroke unsteady and ultimately caused the ball to miss its designated pocket. He moved about the table, following the cue ball to line up the shot a second time. This time his stroke wasn't quite as jerky, but he still missed, and by a large martin. His perfect face scrunched up in anger as he all but slammed his stick down on the table top. He brought both hands up to the sides of his head, massaging his temples softly as he mumbled something lowly to himself, still completely oblivious to his audience.

She peeked into the bay to find that Mike at least had noticed her. He shook his head gravely, shooting a solemn glance toward Finn. She offered a small smile in return, nodding before he returned to his laptop.

It was disconcerting to see Finn like this. He was without a doubt the best player on the team, his stroke always so strong, steady, and sure. She had never seen him play so badly, and definitely never seen him lose his temper over the game or have a mini meltdown. She realized, watching him that she was wearing the same frown marring his face on her own. It was almost as if she could feel his turmoil from across the room, and in spite of her negative feelings for his lack of care for her feelings in the past, she needed to be there for him. Her feet moved of their own accord over to where he stood.

"Have a snickers, you get angry when you're hungry" she joked lamely, stepping up to his side. The weak semblance of a smile she was met with was so unlike what she was now accustomed to receiving from him, and it tugged on her heart even more. He said nothing in response, merely taking a deep breath and picking up his stick once again to line up on the cue ball. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Another failed attempt. His eyes pinched shut for a second, and she saw his hands tighten around his cue, but he regained control instantly and reset himself. His breathing evened out as he wiped the light sheen of sweat from his brow and moved around the table yet again. He was sure getting a lot of exercise out of this game if nothing else.

"Finn, come on" she urged softly, raising an eyebrow at him. "Something's wrong."

"I'm surprised you would even notice" he mumbled, peeking up at her. "Is that why you're here? To make fun of me?"

"What? No, how could you even think that" she chided, folding her arms over her chest. "I was actually coming over to practice with you, but apparently that won't be happening. Maybe I should just go..."

"No! I-" he started, running a hand back through his hair, seemingly debating on his next words.

"You can tell me Finn, really. It's me" she said, her eyes shining up at him with sincerity. She gave him an encouraging smile and reached out to squeeze his forearm, his skin like velvet beneath her fingertips. The physical impact he was having on her however was nothing compared to the way her heart felt staring up into his eyes for the first time in days. The deep brown orbs bore into her own, searching for something, what, she couldn't be sure. He must have found it, because he took a deep breath and looked down to start on his story.

"I can't stop thinking about, you know this is the first time anything like this has ever happened for any of us. It's a really big deal and...what if I screw it up" he whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm one of the three, I'm representing the whole team, the whole _school_ next week Rach."

"And I couldn't think of anyone else better for the job" she interjected quickly, trying to catch his gaze.

"Bullshit. You just saw that" he argued, waving his hands over the table. "I didn't realize the kind of pressure this would be, I don't know if I can do it. This isn't just some bullcrap tournament, it's a really big deal to a lot of people. I'm not ready, I'm not good enough yet. Shit, I haven't even been playing that long. Two and a half years, what is that? Some of those people have been playing since they were in elementary school, who am I even kidding" he ranted, slowly starting to pace in front of the table.

"Finn, you're being irrational" she started, following behind him and tugging on his elbow to make him face her. "Where is this coming from, why would you think like this? You're an excellent pool player, and you'll be every bit as good as those overachievers" she stated simply, holding him the the prison of her eyes.

"Rachel, you don't know that. I-"

Without a word Rachel took his stick from him, turning her back on him and leaning over the table herself. She leveled herself, took aim and sank the ball that he'd been fruitlessly attempting to make since she had been there. She walked around to line up the next shot, banking it into the side pocket. She righted herself and looked up at him purposefully, propping the stick up to her side. He obviously wasn't understanding her lecture, his eyes scrunched up in an odd mix of embarrassment and pride.

"I'm not really sure how that was supposed to help-" he started, stopping when she held up a finger.

"You see those shots I just made, _with ease" _she asked pointedly, pausing until he nodded. "A few months ago, I wouldn't have had a prayer of making either of those, much less back to back. Do you know who taught me the way?" He mutely nodded again. "And who would that be?" He rolled his eyes generously, but nonetheless raised his hand. "Exactly, _you_ did. You taught me pretty much everything that I know how to do on this table, which I must say is pretty impressive" she smiled, her spirits lifting when she saw the side of his face pull up as well. "And that's nowhere near on the level of what you can do" she continued, taking a step toward him. "You were chosen to represent us for a reason Finn, you're every bit as qualified to compete in this tournament as anyone else. I wouldn't have voted for you if I didn't believe so."

She watched his face soften yet again, his gaze casting down before looking back up at her. "You voted for me?"

"I did, so don't make me regret it" she answered with a grin, holding the stick out for him to take. "I have every bit of faith in you Finn, we all do. We're a team, and we're here for one another, to root one another on. And even if it doesn't work out, if we don't place at all and come home empty handed, it's not all about winning; it's about the love of the game. Just do your best, and we'll be behind you the whole way. Me especially" she added quietly. Her breath caught in her throat when she peeked at him, the rightful dazzling smile that she missed shining down at her.

"You especially, huh?"

"Well you are kind of my mentor. If you suck, then that means by association that I suck as well" she teased, more than happy when he took the stick from her extended hand.

"Well we can't have that" he said, bending over the table.

She crossed her fingers behind her, chanting 'make it, make it, make it' in her mind as he lined up the shot. Just as she had hoped, he knocked the ball in with perfect precision. She would have to use her silent Jedi mind tricks when they left for the tournament. He stood up quickly, turning to her with a beaming grin before suddenly pulling her in for a hug.

"Thank you" he breathed into her hair, slowly releasing her from his grip. "I really needed that Rach. I don't know how you knew, but thanks" he whispered, fiddling with the hem of his shirt uncomfortably. Her heart bled for him, the urge to reach out and pull this broken, infuriating boy into her embrace too strong. Her sponsor must have sensed it somehow, because he chose then to interrupt the tender moment.

"Hey, hey! What kinda party is this" Puck called loudly in his now familiar Kevin Hart voice. He took long strides toward them, as Rachel rolled her eyes, separating herself from Finn slightly to clear her head. The two boys shared a handshake before he spoke again, walking over to drape an arm over Rachel's shoulders and mussing her hair just to annoy her. "We still on for tonight?"

"Yeah man, I think so" Finn answered, looking meaningfully at Rachel. "What time does it start?"

"Starts at eleven, but we can get there early to readjust to the tables and shit. You know me, I don't jump on anything without knowing what I'm getting into" he smirked.

"Pig" Rachel accused, smacking his arm lightly. "What are you two talking about anyway?"

"Me and Hudson are going to a little tournament tonight at a little bar about an hour from here. It'll be more practice for us for next week" he shrugged cockily, extremely happy with his position as one of the representatives for the team.

"Oh. Well it's already eight" she said, looking up at the wall clock with a small pout. "Are you about to leave?"

"It's kinda early, but I guess we could." She fought down the sadness trying to rise within her. It was starting out to be such a good night, just to end so suddenly.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys later then" she smiled, taking a step away from them.

"You should come with us" Finn blurted, reaching out a hand to her.

"What?" both she and Puck asked at the same time.

"You can enter the tournament too. You won't get to play with us next week, but you can get a taste of what the competition feels like" he mused.

"I hadn't thought about it like that, good plan Hudson. You in Berry?" Puck asked, giving her his puppy dog eyes.

"That sounds really awesome" she squealed, clapping her hands together.

"Cool deal, let's go" Puck declared, pumping his fist while Finn gathered up the balls to carry back into the bay with Mike.

"You're driving this time ass" Finn warned, pointing a finger towards Puck. "I always get chauffeur duty, it's your turn."

"Fine Ms. Daisy" Puck taunted, dodging Finn's blow.

The three friends made their way out into the lot, climbing into Puck's black Impala. In spite of Finn's offer to give her the front seat, she opted to sit in the back. It would be much safer considering she wouldn't be able to feel Finn's eyes on her in the small space, and she would have more room to stretch out. Happy with her decision she settled into her seat as they started the car. They had only been on the road for a few months when Finn completely shocked them.

"Do you have a duffel bag for next week?" he asked, looking over at Puck who shook his head no. "Me either. Wanna stop at my house and grab two of Mom and Burt's? It's on the way" he said casually, already pulling out his phone.

She froze in her seat, noticing that Puck too had pulled out his phone. Though she normally would have lectured him on the dangers of driving and texting she knew from experience that there was no convincing him. Also, she knew that text was probably for her, and she was beyond eager to hear what he had to say about this. As expected her phone buzzed against her leg, and she opened it up as Finn called up his mother.

**Holy shit. What happened back in the playground?**

_**We just talked, and bonded I suppose. Should I be freaking out?  
**_

Unfortunately, Puck never got the chance to respond before they pulled up to what was apparently Finn's old home. It was a large brick house, shrubs decorating the front, and a stone walkway leading up to the front door. She could imagine a small Finn swinging on the old set that was positioned off to the side of the backyard, or swinging in the tire hanging from the tree to the side of the house.

Unsure of what was expected of her, she remained still in her seat while Finn started to climb out. "You can cut off, let's go inside" he stated casually, shutting his door. Wordlessly he opened Rachel's door for her, waiting until she stepped out. Pasting a smile on her shocked face she climbed out of the low car and straightened her clothes down and fidgeted with her hair. Thank God she always tried to be presentable when she went to The Playground. She purposely took small steps to the looming front door, allowing Finn to walk ahead so that she could pull Puck over to question.

"I'm freaking out" she whispered, eyes widening to the size of saucers. "What do I do? Is this a big deal? Is it weird? Am I over-analyzing this?"

"Calm down, you can't look like a psycho in front of mama Carol" he whispered back, pulling her closer to his side as to not be heard. "He hasn't brought a girl home since high school, hell he hasn't even mentioned a girl to her since then that I know of. So yeah, it's kind of a big deal" he breathed, smiling up at Finn as they reached the front door with him. She barely had time to compose herself, having just tucked herself behind Puck before the door opened up revealing a short, brown haired woman with Finn's eyes and a kind smile.

"Hi boys" she cried, leaning forward to embrace the both of them. She ranted about how long it had been since she had seen the two of them, and whether or not Finn was remembering to take his allergy medicine regularly, before her surprised eyes landed on Rachel. "Oh, hello dear" she said, her gaze bouncing between the two boys. "Well, do either of you want to introduce this lovely girl" she asked, pulling Rachel forward into the living room.

"Rachel Berry. I'm a friend of Finn's. And Puck, we actually play on the billiards team together" she announced, taking the initiative and saving the two boys.

"Oh, really? Do you enjoy it? These two can't seem to get enough of that sport."

"I love it, it's a magnificently challenging and rewarding game."

"That's what my Finny says" she said, smiling fondly at the tall boy as his cheeks flamed. "Isn't that where you said you all were headed tonight? To play in another one of those tournaments" she asked, looking between the two boys. "You didn't think that might be a little late for her? Sweetie I hope they warned you before dragging you along with them to this thing. The last one of these tournaments Finn told me he went to they didn't get in until three o'clock in the morning." Rachel's eyes widened as she turned to Puck, not so much in worry over the late hour, but more so that this seemed to be a regular thing for them and this was her first time being invited. "I was worried sick" Finn's mother ranted, leading them into the kitchen. "And now you have a young lady with you. The two of you better take good care of her" she said, pointing for the three young people to take a seat at the table.

"Yes mama" Puck answered automatically, mock saluting her as he took his seat. Finn stood up behind Rachel's chair, leaning on the tall back rather than taking a seat. The temperature in the house was a little colder than she was used to, but she didn't want to come off as a brat, so she wrapped her arms around herself silently.

"You cold" Finn whispered down to her. Before she had completed her nod, he was removing his jacket and handing it down to her. The action didn't go unnoticed by his mother as Rachel wrapped the Finn-scented jacket around herself silently.

"I'm Carol, Finn's mother by the way. Where are my manners" she said, smiling apologetically down at her. "I haven't even offered you anything to eat, are any of you hungry" she asked, bustling over to the refrigerator. "I made a big dinner, you would be doing me a favor to take some of it off of our hands" she said, swinging open the door. Puck immediately walked over to where she stood, surveying the contents.

"Geez mama Carol, fried chicken? I didn't think Pops was allowed" he said, pulling a container out and setting it on the counter beside the fridge.

"He's not, but he begged and I couldn't say no" she admitted with a sigh. "I keep telling him that I can't keep babying him like this, but he wants what he wants. My husband has a history of heart trouble" she clarified, taking in Rachel's confused expression. "We try to force him into a healthy lifestyle, but he's a stubborn old man."

"I'm surprised Kurt hasn't put his foot down yet" Finn said, walking over to inspect the food as well. "Where is he?"

"He's out on a date tonight actually" the woman said, glancing subtly over in Rachel's direction. "Isn't that nice honey?"

"Huh, I guess. Do you know the guy?" Carol shook her head no as she started to warm the food for Puck. "Did you want anything honey? It's no trouble at all, really."

"No thank you ma'am, I had a big dinner" she said, patting her stomach. It wasn't a lie, she really was full.

"I could pack you up something to take home, or to your apartment with you for later."

"Are you sure?" The woman nodded enthusiastically and immediately moved around to get another take away plate for Rachel. "That's very kind of you, thank you ma'am."

"Oh honey call me Carol, you make me feel like an old lady" she smiled, working her way through the kitchen as Puck waited for his meal. "Did you want anything Finny?"

"You can make me something to go too mom. I'm gonna go ahead and get the duffel bags out of storage for next week, okay?"

"Sure honey. Why don't you give Rachel a tour of the house" she said casually, tossing them an innocent smile before turning her back on them. "Burt is asleep, so try not to wake him though."

Rachel eagerly jumped up from her seat, following Finn as he led the way through the house. They really did have a lovely home, there were family photos littering the walls, a thin, pale young boy starring in a wide majority of them. She deduced that the boy must be the Kurt, the stepbrother Finn had told her about weeks ago when they were at the pool. She smiled as she finally placed a face with the name, it made her feel like she had a real window into his life.

Finn walked her through each room, showing her the fancy waterfall in the den, the gaming room filled with a few different gaming systems, and a wall basketball goal. Leading her around the entire house until they reached the next door, right across from the kitchen. He slowly opened it and ushered her inside. "Don't laugh."

She understood his meaning as soon as she stepped inside the tiny room. The walls were decorated with a western themed boarder, and the twin sized bed had a stallion carved into the foot board. The room was in perfect condition, much too neat and tidy for what she pictured from a young man. "Please tell me this is Kurt's room" she giggled, walking forward to pet the small wooden horse sitting in the corner.

"Don't judge me okay, I had a thing for westerns when I was younger" he smiled, laughing at her as she positioned herself atop the tiny horse.

"How did you ever possibly fit on this thing" she mused, rocking back and forth on the small horse.

"I'm a man of many talents" he said, sticking his chin up in the air. He reached up and pulled the too small cowboy hat off of his dresser, placing in on top of his head and grinning at her, making her giggle at the sight. She turned away from his gaze, taking in every detail of the small room, soaking in what she could of the room that raised him.

"So this was your room" she said, standing up from her horse. "Aren't you supposed to say something cliche like, 'this is where the magic happens' she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him at him.

"I would. But, I think you know...the magic can happen wherever I am" he breathed, removing the hat from his own head and placing it on hers. She blinked up at him, her blood flaming her cheeks as he locked his eyes on hers.

"Finn sweetie, did you find the bags" Carol called, breaking the trance.

"Uh, yeah almost" Finn called back, taking the hat off of her head to place on the dresser. "Um, the storage room is right across the hall" he mumbled, leading her out and towards the said room.

Once Finn had fetched the needed luggage, he brought them back into the kitchen to find Puck standing over the sink rinsing his dish and setting in in the rack to dry. Rachel fought not to laugh at the sight, Puck...doing dishes? No wonder he called her mama.

"We're about to get out of here, we need to practice before the tournament starts" Finn announced, holding up the two bags.

"Oh honey you can't leave yet. I've barely gotten to talk to Rachel at all" she pouted, clutching her hand. "Are you a freshman, or a transfer student?"

"I'm a freshman this year."

"Oh, that's fun. Are you enjoying the campus, and college life?"

"It's been quite the ride" she answered honestly, avoiding looking at the main cause of the roller coaster. "But so far it's been great. I've learned a lot."

"Of course. What are you majoring in dear?"

"Mom...we really need to get out of here" Finn cut in, leaning down to kiss his mother on the cheek. "Rachel hasn't ever been here before, she needs to practice and get used to the place."

"Fine" she relented, standing to lead the three young people to the door. She kissed the two boys on both of their cheeks, making them promise to call her when they arrived home tonight. When she reached Rachel, she pulled her into a hug as well, placing a swift kiss on her cheek. "It was lovely meeting you Rachel, I hope you come back" she said, squeezing her hands gently. She had no idea how much Rachel shared that same hope. "Good luck to you all" she called, looking meaningfully at Rachel before she closed the door.

* * *

At around three o'clock, Rachel was barely able to hold her eyes open as she waited for the boys to collect their winnings. She had been eliminated from the game hours ago, losing her second time to a green haired woman with a nose ring. She learned first hand what Finn had meant by the pressure of competition, as well as the intimidation of playing with someone you've never met. The first shot the woman had sank in with ease, then winked up at her, and psychologically Rachel had already lost.

Finn and Puck had both soared against the competition, Puck finished in fourth place and Finn came in second. She was overjoyed and flooded with pride for the both of them, but she was having a hard time showing it through her fatigue. She hadn't even realized that she was dozing off when she felt a gentle shake on her shoulder.

"Hey, we can go now" Finn said softly, holding out a hand to help her up.

"Congratulations" she said weakly, pumping her fist.

"We played good" he allowed, holding out his arm for her to hold onto.

"It was mostly my Jedi mind tricks, I was helping from the sidelines" she announced proudly, accepting his arm and allowing him to lead her outside to the car. Puck said nothing as they walked out, too overjoyed with the instant cash he had won.

"Jedi mind tricks huh?" he asked, holding the door open for her to climb in. Instead of hearing the door close, she looked over to see him slide in beside her. He smiled softly as he patted his shoulder, offering it for her to rest on. Too tired to protest she leaned against him, nuzzling her face into the sleeve of his shirt. She cuddled his jacket, still swamping her tiny frame, around herself as she got comfortable, feeling him adjust beside her as well. He raised his arm, letting it rest around her as she got comfortable against his side, her head lying partially on his chest, partially on his shoulder.

"Uh-huh. I got skills" she mumbled, sleep clogging her voice as the engine started.

"I know. You'll have to tell me about that tomorrow" he offered, leaning his head over onto hers.

She didn't have the energy to answer him vocally, so instead she nodded, closing her eyes as the fatigue washed over her. She was too tired to focus on the clean scent of him attacking her nostrils, the steady rhythm of his breathing beneath her, or the way she seemed to fit perfectly tucked into his side. All she knew was that this was like a dream, like a perfect dream that she wished she never had to wake up from, but this wasn't a dream, it was actually reality. This whole day had been a beautiful reality, and she had no idea why or how things worked out the way they did, but she could obsess over that later. For now she smiled to herself as the sleep took over, the hum of the car lulling her to sleep as they drove through the night.

_**Thank you for reading! Yay for some Finchel in this chapter! **_

_**Update hopefully coming soon!**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the lyrics used in this story.**_

_**"In places no one will find, all your feelings so deep inside. Was there that I realized that forever was in your eyes, the moment I saw you cry. I wanted to hold you; I wanted to make it go away. I wanted to know you; I wanted to make your everything alright."**_

_**-from 'Cry'**_

It was about one o'clock in the afternoon when Rachel finally dragged herself out of bed. Memories of the previous night, and the chivalrous, messy haired, pool champion that had carried her up to her room fresh in her mind, a smile graced her face as she made her way into the bathroom.

After a very refreshing shower, complete with maybe not so impressive renditions of a few of her favorite love songs since she knew Brittany would be at Santana's for the weekend, she made her way out and helped herself to a nutrigrain bar. It wasn't much, but it would do for now.. She stretched out on her bed and turned on her television, taking the rare opportunity to lose herself in some mindless entertainment. She immediately stumbled upon 'The Notebook' and paused her flipping, settling on it to watch. It was one of her favorite movies of all time.

Noah and Allie were on screen, arguing outside of her parents house at his car. She watched the tight set of his jaw as he avoided eye contact with her, trying to brush off her ramblings. She frowned at the picture, immediately thinking of Finn. If the young pair had just been open with one another, open about their feelings and what they wanted, things might have turned out differently. They might have avoided all those years of estrangement, all of that confusion, and heartbreak in Allie's fiancee's case. It seemed like such a waste, but then again, all of those things were what shaped their epic love story. It all built up an intense, true romance, and showed them that their love would stand through anything; they were soul mates, to the end.

She didn't know if Finn was her person like that, if he would turn out to be the one that she grew old with, and impressed their children with their pool playing skills, but she couldn't deny that's what a part of her wanted. All of this time she had spent playing this game with him, trying to win him over, and in the end it looked like he had just dug his way even farther into her heart. It was strange how things like this could just grab you, change your whole life so quickly, without you even really realizing it.

Even back when she dated Sam, she never had a clear picture that he was the end for her. He was comfortable, he took care of her, and her dads approved, but that was about it. There was never any complexity, any passion, or real love. Then, and even when she was a little girl, her happy ending had always been just a vague concept, a distant fairytale. Now, she had a very clear picture in her mind of what her future looked like, and it was a little unnerving how that could be when she wasn't even dating the guy.

By the time the movie was over, she had come up with a plan for their future. She could be a famous actress, her dream job made even more acquirable with the way she was excelling in her courses; and he would be a professional pool player, or anything really, he was just so good at everything. Or, he was majoring in Sports Exercise, he could support them with whatever kind of profession he had intended for that. They could have two children, a boy and a younger girl, and they would have family game nights, and live on a large property so that they could all ride four wheelers together, or camp, and be outdoorsy. He would be there to teach them everything that he knew, much like he had done for her, and she would be there to encourage and push them along the way. It was a beautiful picture, and it warmed her heart to lose herself in the musings, but deep down she hadn't completely forgiven Finn for his misdoing quite yet. She knew that the little game wasn't over for them, but she was already planning the grand prize. Her phone buzzed against her nightstand, interrupting her thoughts and she reached over to grab it, beaming when she saw that it was a message from Finn.

**Can you come to The Playground**

It hadn't even been a whole twelve hours and he already wanted to see her? She grinned at her phone, deciding to toy with him a bit first.

_**Geez, I don't know, I think I've had enough of you for one day :p**_

Happy with her response she leaned back, keeping the phone balanced on her knee as she awaited his cheeky reply. Seconds later her phone buzzed again.

**Please...**

Confused, and a little worried at his lack of playfulness, she hopped down from her bed, typing him a quick 'okay'. She pulled on a pair of leggings, and an over-sized shirt with some boots and quickly made her way to The Playground.

* * *

Rachel power walked the whole way there, and when she finally walked inside she found Finn sitting in the bay with his back to her. Walking around to the entrance, she opened the door to the small bay area and took a step inside, her breath catching in her throat when she saw his face. His eyes were red rimmed, a glazed shine to them, hinting to future tears, and his cheeks were puffy.

"Finn" she breathed, "Finn what's wrong?" He said nothing, only turning his head slightly to meet her gaze. "You look even worse than you did last night. Is that what this is again? You were wonderful Finn, honestly you-"

"Burt's in the hospital...my step-dad" he whispered, cutting her off.

"Oh my...that's...what's wrong? Is he okay?"

Finn shrugged his rigid shoulders, the movement very uncomfortable even just to watch. He blinked his eyes, holding back what he was obviously feeling. She looked at his face, his deep brown eyes full of more emotion than she had ever seen them and her heart ached with the need to comfort him, to do whatever she could to make his smile return.

"I don't know" he choked out. "Kurt just text me to tell me to come straight to the hospital when I got off work, that they had taken him to the Emergency Room early this morning. It's his heart again" he said, rubbing a hand back through his already messy hair. Obviously this wasn't the first time he'd taken out his frustration on his soft brown locks.

"But you don't get off until-"

"Eleven. I'm not gonna be there for him, I'm never there" he whispered, looking down at his shoes. "He's been my dad, the only dad I really knew for such a long time now, but I hardly treat him like one."

Rachel stayed silent as she listened to him rant, he obviously needed to get this out. She clasped her hands together in front of her, fighting back her sob as she watched this beautiful, strong boy unravel in front of her.

"We didn't get along at first, I actually kind of hated him. He was taking my Dad's place, and at that point it just felt so wrong to me you know? Like he was sneaking in and taking over my dad's spot in the family, like he was trying to replace him or something. I guess I always kind of held that against him in a way. Before I moved out, the only time we really spent together was watching games, and the most I'd seen him recently was working on that stupid four wheeler together at the shop. He did that for me you know, it's not like he could ride it, but he knew I would want to. I'm really so selfish aren't I? I can be such a jackass sometimes, and I take advantage of people who don't deserve it" he continued, looking up at her. "I don't mean to, not really. I just...I wish I could change that now. He might be fine, this might not even be as big an episode as he's had in the past, but I can't stop thinking about what if it is."

"You should call Kurt, or your mom and find out what the case is, it might help to ease your mind" she suggested quietly, leaning against the counter.

"I can't. I don't know if I'm ready to know. I wanna be there so bad, but what if he doesn't even want me there? Kurt is the one who told me to come, my mom hasn't even called me Rach. It's not like I'm ever around anyway, they don't want me there, not really, and I don't blame them."

"You take that back" she scolded, taking a step towards him. "They are your family Finn, and in spite of the problems and the tension you've had, they would absolutely want you there, no matter how long it takes."

He merely shook his head at her, again running his hand through his distressed hair. She took a deep breath, dragging up a not so fond memory to share with him from her own past. It took an example to help him see last night, and if that's what he needed to see past his own insecurities then she would share with him again.

"Finn, I was raised by two gay fathers, do you know what that means? It means that I had a mother who was not a part of my life aside from my conception and birth" she started, holding his gaze. "I longed for her from the time I was a child, it was like an obsession. I wished she was around to brush my hair, and dress me up for picture day, or let me cry on her shoulder and give me advice when a boy at school would break my heart. Every Mother's Day I would make her a card, and keep them in a box at the top of my closet and it made me feel connected to her somehow. Not that my fathers weren't good to me, and they did a good job at all of those things, they did. However, I wanted more. When I was in high school I finally tracked her down, my real mother. She was beautiful, and talented, and everything that I'd ever imagined her to be. She was a theater teacher at my rival high school, and she was excellent. I reached out to her, to try and build the relationship I'd craved, but she didn't share that desire."

"What? How is that even possible" he asked, his brow crinkling up in confusion.

"I just didn't fit into her life. I wasn't the baby she once had, and that was the concept that she had frozen in her mind...I didn't fit into that at the time. Kind of like Burt and your father" she continued, noting his guilty expression. "Her not wanting to share a relationship with me didn't mean that I loved her any less though Finn. Like it or not, she was my mother, the only mother I had and that was that. Eventually, we exchanged letters, and she even came to my graduation party from high school. It's an estranged relationship, and dysfunctional, but it's ours, and somehow it works. Could it be better? Yeah, most relationships probably could be, I've learned you just have to embrace what you have and make the most of it."

"You're so strong Rachel, I don't give you enough credit for that. I would have probably hated her if I was in your shoes, but you're just a much better person than I am." He sighed, the defeated expression immediately returning to his face. "I wouldn't blame Burt if he hated me...I'm not his real son."

"He does not Finn, he loves you."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you. I know how easy it could be for someone to love you, even if you're not really theirs." She held her breath as he returned her stare, the overwhelming emotion bubbling up inside her. She held his watery gaze steady until he finally nodded.

She loved this boy, she was never more sure of it than she was in this very moment. She had seen so many sides of him the past few months, but seeing him open himself up to her was so much more than she had ever expected it would be. There was so much more to the tough, carefree exterior he put on, a soft, insecure side that she yearned to fix. Not only to fix him though, to fix herself. Never before had she shared this story with anyone aside from her best friend in high school, and partially with Sam. She hadn't really come to terms with the complexity of it herself until she had expressed it to Finn though, and in an odd way it was therapeutic. She stared at the boy who had turned her life upside down, and at the same time managed to make her so much wiser, stronger, in more ways than one.

"Thank you" he finally whispered.

Without a thought she moved forward to where he sat, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into her embrace. She immediately felt him return the hug, his arms wrapping tightly around her middle, and she could feel him slightly tremble. Her cheek was pressed right against his face, and she would swear that she felt a single tear as it fell, wetting her own skin as they were connected. She pulled him closer as he buried his face into her neck, and could feel the tension ebbing from his body the longer she held him. The tender moment seemed to last forever, but ended so soon, as she felt him finally start to pull away, subtly wiping the back of his hands over his eyes to remove any traces of the tear. She offered him a watery smile as he composed himself, feeling her chest squeeze. He really had such a hold on her, it was like he had reached in, latched onto her heart and wouldn't let go.

"God, I look like such a little bitch" he said, smiling slightly as he stretched out his limbs.

"Certainly not. You have feelings Finn, we all do. You shouldn't hide from them" she said purposefully. "Now, I think you have a phone call to make" she added, nodding toward his phone.

"I think I'm going to skip the phone call and go straight to the hospital" he said, determination ringing in his voice. "We've been empty the last few Saturdays, if I tell Will he'll probably let me close early. I can always re-open later if I need to" he mused, convincing himself as he picked up his phone to call his boss.

She sat quietly, listening as he worked out the details with Will before he finally hung up. He walked over to the cash register, counting the money and tidying up before he left.

"Well, I hope everything is alright Finn. Give your family my best wishes, and please let me know how things go."

"Actually" he said, turning from his work, "I was actually wondering if you could come with me."

"I'm sorry?" Holy crap.

"If it's weird, you don't have to. But, I don't really know what I'm going to find when I get there, and I...well if it turns out to be bad, well I would really like you to be there. You just, I don't know you make things better, kind of" he mumbled, shutting the cash register rather loudly. "But if-"

"I'd be honored to accompany you Finn" she said quickly, stepping forward to place her hand on his. "That's what friends are for."

He nodded gently, walking around the bay to pick up his things. He grabbed his laptop bag, his phone, and the keys to the Playground and shut off the lights in the bay. She followed him out the back doors after he had locked up, and they made their way in a companionable silence to his truck.

* * *

She followed Finn through the halls of the hospital, eying the random artwork decorating the walls. When they had reached his father's room she again felt his tension seeping into her, and soon his large hand reached down to engulf her tiny one. She didn't know if he even realized he had done it, he didn't look down or acknowledge her in any kind of way. She almost pulled back from him, having planned to wait outside when he walked into his father's room, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. If he needed her there by his side, that's where she would be.

He paused in front of the closed door, and took deep breaths, prepping himself for what awaited. Silently Rachel squeezed his hand, lacing her fingers through his in a show of support. "You can do this."

They pushed open the door to find a bald man sitting up in bed, surrounded by the pale skinned boy she recognized as Kurt, and the lovely Carol that she had met just the night before. All three pairs of eyes were trained on the television, a screen showing the words 'Duck Dynasty' popping up before their attention moved over to the pair of them standing in the doorway. She could feel the relief flood through him as it flowed through her as well when she realized that he must be doing fairly well if he was sitting up watching television with a granola bar tucked into his hand.

"Finn sweetie! I thought you were at work" Carol cried, standing from her seat to come over to them. She pulled her son into a hug, and immediately pulled Rachel in for one as well.

"I was, but I got the news and I closed early to be here. I didn't know what was going on."

"Oh you missed all of the action" the young boy said, turning to gaze at his father sternly. "If you ever try to convince her into making you fried chicken, or anything of the sort again just because 'you want it', I will personally lock you in a closet with a lifetime supply of tofu and celery. Do you understand me?"

"Give me a break Kurt, I'm fine. No reason I can't have some more in a few months" he grinned, winking at his wife.

"Fine, oh of course. I would call having a mild heart attack as a result of your lack of will power, and being rushed to the hospital fine. You were lucky, very lucky" the boy scolded, trying to feed his father a carrot stick. "Look at me, you have me behaving like an overprotective mother in front of Finn's friend...wait, what" he said, doing a double take to stare at Rachel.

"Um, hi?" she whispered, still holding onto Finn's hand awkwardly from the doorway.

"Oh honey, this is Finn's friend Rachel. I had the pleasure of meeting her last night when they stopped by" she added with a knowing smile. "I was hoping we'd be seeing you again, though not under these circumstances."

"Huh" he said, eying the pair of them, his gaze lingering on their entwined hands. "Good job son, she must be something special" he continued, smiling at Finn. She looked up to see Finn returning the smile in earnest, light dancing in his eyes as they shared the moment.

"She's alright" he answered, breaking the gaze to scrunch his nose up at her. She giggled at his funny face, amazed that he had yet to release her hand. Almost as if he was onto her he released the hand, walking forward to stand at the side of the bed his mother had vacated. She couldn't turn her eyes from him as he sank down in the seat, striking up a conversation with the man. It was beautiful, watching the progress happen right before her eyes, feeling like she was a part of it. She barely felt the intense stare coming from his brother, or even his mother.

"Thank you so much for coming with him" Carol whispered, breaking her trance. "I know my son, I know why you're here. He's a good boy, he's stubborn as all get out, but he's a good boy with a good heart. I think you already know that though, don't you?"

She nodded mutely, the blood rushing to her cheeks as she was found out by the object of her affections' mother. Oddly enough, it wasn't awkward. She felt accepted by the warm smile the short, dark haired woman shot her.

"Excuse me, but I've yet to be formally introduced" Kurt piped in, walking over to the two of them. "Kurt Hummel" he announced, sticking out a hand to Rachel. "Finn's much more likeable, intelligent, and sane brother" he said coolly. She laughed as she took his hand, shaking it.

"Rachel Berry. His much more charming, cool, and talented friend" she replied, sticking her tongue out at Finn from across the room. Kurt followed the action, taking in Finn's bright smile before turning back to her with a thoughtful gaze. "I like her" he said, seemingly to himself. He looked down, checking his phone suddenly. "Oh, he's here!" he cried, bouncing over to grab his things up from around the room.

"Where are you going?" Finn asked.

"I've been here since early this morning Finn, I'm in dire need of a shower, and some real food..don't start" he added before Burt could second that last statement. "I'll be back in a few hours, for now I'm going to have lunch with my boyfriend and get freshened up." Her stomach chose that moment to roar, reminding her that all she'd eaten today was a nutrigrain bar. Crap. "Hungry" the boy asked, quirking an amused eyebrow at her. "You're welcome to join us, if you like. It'll give me a chance to get to know you better."

"And by that he means pick you apart, and judge you not so silently" Finn added, standing to approach them. "Good luck getting her go eat with you dude, she won't even have meals with me anymore."

"We've already decided that I'm the superior, more interesting brother here Finn. I'm sure she would be delighted to have lunch with me" he taunted, holding out his arm for Rachel.

"Do you really mind" she asked, looking up at Finn.

"No Rach, you're hungry. Go ahead before they try to do surgery on you to remove whatever monster is in your stomach."

"It was not that loud" she pouted, her chinks pinking as she accepted Kurt's arm.

"It was pretty freaking scary" he said.

"I don't usually, but I have to agree with him. You need supplement, and fast" Kurt added.

"Told you, judgmental" Finn grinned, and Kurt laughed along with him.

"Don't listen to him. We're going to have a great time" he sang, leading them out of the room. "How long do you plan on staying here Finn?"

"Uh, I don't know. As long as you guys need me to I guess" he answered, rubbing the back of his neck. The slight shock was evident on his brothers' face, but he hid it quickly. "Well you can't expect to keep her here in this depressing hospital that long, I'm sure she has other things to do with her day." Not really. "Do you want us to take her home when we're done?"

"Is that okay with you" he asked. She nodded her head, knowing that he needed this time with his family. "I'll text you later, okay? And thank you, for coming with me, and everything" he added in a whisper. Carefully, he leaned down, brushing his lips across her cheekbone, setting her skin aflame.

"How sweet" Kurt cooed, shrinking at Finn's glare.

Once the two brothers had shared their goodbyes, and she bid farewell to Burt and Carol, she allowed the smaller man to lead her out of the hospital and to the curbside. She floated on air all the way to a small car and she followed Kurt's lead, climbing into the backseat.

"Well isn't this a coincidence" the voice from the front seat called back to her. She looked up to the familiar face of Blaine, smiling at her.

"Of course, you two already know each other" Kurt said, putting the pieces together mentally.

"We do, it's good to see you again Rachel. Here. With Kurt's family. Am I correct in assuming you were with Finn" he asked with a smirk.

"You know too" Kurt asked before turning to her with determined interest. "Spill."

"What" she sputtered, looking to Blaine for back up.

"I'm with him Rachel, let's hear it" Blaine laughed, shifting the car into gear and pulling out of the lot.

_**Thank you for reading, and for all of the reviews/follows/favorites! Hope you are still enjoying!**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the lyrics used in this story. **_

_**"Open your heart to me baby, I'll hold the lock and you hold the key. Open your heart to me darling, I'll give you love if you turn the key."**_

_**-from 'Borderline/Open your heart**_

"No. Absolutely not. Why do you even have this" Kurt asked, flinging things out of Rachel's suitcase as he ranted. She turned to face Blaine's patient smile, the only thing keeping her from flipping out on the other small boy so far. She had no idea why she had agreed to let him come help her pack for the trip, well she did, but that wasn't the point. He was great, and she found herself relating to him on many levels, but not so much at the moment.

"Kurt there is nothing wrong with my wardrobe. I'm not going to Tennessee to walk down a runway, I'm going to watch a billiards tournament. All I need is something to keep me warm, and comfortable" she said, attempting to reason with him.

"God you sound just like Finn. Every time you step out in public, is an opportunity to impress" he said as if he were talking to a toddler. "Hopeless fashion sense, the both of you" he muttered, walking over to her closet most likely in search of 'acceptable' clothing.

"I don't see anything wrong with the way Finn dresses" she defended before she could stop herself, glaring at Blaine's knowing nod.

"You wouldn't. I stop by that hog pin of an apartment weekly to launder his clothes and lay out the most descent things he has to wear. Who do you think dressed him for his Fraternity crossing party?"

Ah, that made sense. It felt like only yesterday she had seen Finn standing in that crowded room, dressed to the nines in black and white. He looked so fresh and made up, like someone out of a magazine. "That was all you? You did a really good job" she said, too lost in the memory to disguise the dreaminess in her tone.

"Oh sweetie, I think you have a little drool" Blaine said, exaggeratedly dabbing at the corner of Rachel's mouth with a grin.

She swatted his hand away quickly, simultaneously avoiding Kurt's amused stare. It felt like she was being tag-teamed, she really had to watch these two, they were as bad as Brittany and Santana. Ever since she had lunch with the pair of them over the weekend, both boys had been down her throat trying to get the details of she and Finn's relationship out of her. This was Finn's brother though, and she knew anything that was said was bound to return to him by way of Kurt immediately. That wasn't exactly the best thing that could happen, so she chose to keep her mouth shut, ever honoring Finn's wishes.

"Still sure there's nothing you would like to share with us" Kurt taunted, neatly folding and placing things into her suitcase.

"Not a thing."

"Fine. It is a shame though" he sighed dramatically, walking over to his partner. "Carol seems to think otherwise. She's been talking about you all weekend, and even my dad."

"Really? What, um, what did they say about me?" she asked quietly, playing with the ends of her hair. Mom's were a big deal right? Her opinion of Rachel would likely matter a lot to Finn.

"Well I would just love to share all of the juicy details with you Rachel. Under certain circumstances of course..." he paused, looking at her expectantly. Dammit, he almost reeled her in. As tempting as it was, she wouldn't fall for that though, at least not now. She would just hold onto the hope that all the acceptance and kindness Carol had shown her, and the nice things Burt had said at the hospital were genuine. Time would tell anyway.

"Are you looking for an information trade? Because I have nothing to share" she shrugged, walking over to take her suitcase from him. She quickly jotted down a note for Brittany, reminding her that she was leaving for the tournament, then linked arms with her two best gays to go meet the van.

* * *

"Okay guys, put your stuff in the back and let's hit the road" Will called, clapping his hands together in excitement before jumping in the drivers seat of the large van.

"Don't forget to call Carol, you know she worries. Hang up all of your clothes as soon as you get to your hotel, if there is an ironing board there for Barbara's sake, use it" Kurt instructed, straightening the shoulders of Finn's shirt.

"Alright, alright" Finn chuckled, brushing the smaller boy off. "We're only gone for a few days, why are you being all mom'ish?"

"Because you need it. And I'm not just doing it to you" Kurt clarified, rolling his eyes at his brother before approaching Blaine for his lecture then affectionate goodbye.

"Just because I'm okay with it doesn't mean I want to see it" Finn groaned, being met with a wave from his brother's hand. The two boys had revealed their relationship to Finn over the weekend. "You better be glad I like Blaine. Isn't it in the big brother handbook that I'm supposed to kick his ass for keeping this a secret?"

"You're not my _big_ brother Finn. You only have me by a few months" Kurt scowled, turning to push Finn's shoulder, then re-smoothing the fabric with his hand.

"Still counts" he smirked.

Rachel said her goodbyes to Kurt before finally boarding the van. Puck was sitting in the front row, patting the seat beside him in invitation with a grin. She smiled up at him, it felt like it had been forever since she had hung out with her dear friend.

"Hey stranger" he said, pulling her in for a hug when she settled beside him. "You miss me?"

"Oh, I was going through withdrawals" she said playfully, pinching his knee.

"Good because this is going to be a long ride" Puck said, as she watched Finn climb into the passenger seat, shutting the door. They immediately pulled out of the lot.

"It will be. And how do you plan on entertaining me on this long, strenuous ride" she asked, placing a hand on her hip even though she was sitting.

"First off, I'm challenging your ass to some Flappy Birds, then I'm going to tell you all about the facial I gave this girl over the weekend."

"A facial? That's different, I wouldn't have taken you to be interested in cosmetics."

"Obviously you're not thinking the right kind of facial" he said with a devilish grin. That paired with the loud laugh Finn released from in front of her alerted her to just what he had meant.

"Oh God. Do you ever stop" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Never" he laughed, pulling out his phone. "And don't worry I have plenty stories to share, but for now let's play. My high score is 120, let's see if you can beat it" he challenged opening up the app. She died on level two eight times in a row, and almost threw his droid through the windshield.

"Let me try" Finn said, reaching back to take the phone from her. He easily made it to level fifteen before winking at her and handing the phone back. "Must just be you" he chuckled.

She growled low in her throat as she snatched the phone from him. This was definitely going to be a long ride.

* * *

They had been on the road forever, and she had eventually fallen asleep against Puck's shoulder for a short period when they finally arrived at an Outback Steakhouse. Thank goodness too, her stomach woke up right along with her. The team walked inside the semi-crowded restaurant, and were seated immediately. She walked to the end of the rectangular table to take her seat and smiled when Finn sat down right beside her, Tina taking the other side.

"I'm starving" he said, picking up the menu once the waitress set it down.

"Me too" she agreed before giving the waitress her drink order.

"What are you gonna get?"

"I don't know, I usually get their bacon cheese fries, but their coconut shrimp are really good too" she said, debating between the two in her mind. Both were junk foods, and she knew she would feel guilty about eating either, but what the heck? She was on vacation, and she wanted to splurge.

"Well get both, and I'll pay for it" he suggested casually, making her freeze.

"What?"

"I'll pay for your food." He didn't even look up from his menu, he said it like it was the most normal thing in the world for him to do.

"Why would you do that Finn?"

"It's the least I can do. You've really had my back lately, and I wanna thank you for it. Just, let me be a gentleman and buy your meal" he finished in a rushed breath, his cheeks pinking adorably.

"Gentleman, huh? Fine, I'll let you buy me a salad" she decided, folding her menu and pushing it away.

"What? You just said you wanted-"

"And your proposal has changed my mind. Both of those dishes are expensive, I won't have you over spending on me."

"Rachel, I wouldn't have offered if I didn't have the money to spend, or if I didn't want to."

"I'm ordering a salad" she said stubbornly, trying to level him with her gaze.

"That's not what you really want Rach" he argued, placing his menu down on the table.

"Besides the point" she dismissed, turning away from him as the waitress approached them.

She watched silently as Finn gave his order to the older lady, his charming smile perfectly intact, showing no signs of their little spat. When the woman turned to her, before she could even open her mouth to place her dull order, Finn continued.

"And she'll have an order of your bacon cheese fries, along with an order of coconut shrimp. Put it on my ticket. You're welcome" he added with a breathtakingly sweet smile, taking the argument right off of her tongue. "Seriously, don't worry about it Rach. Enjoy your food." She nodded mutely, losing herself in the deep brown pools before her attention was grabbed away.

"Where are you kids from" the waitress asked when she had taken all of their orders. "You don't sound like you're from around here."

"We're actually from Ohio, we're here for a pool tournament this week" Will announced, clapping a hand on Puck's shoulder. "This is our team."

"Oh, well that's exciting! Are you all excited?" The group all cheered together, giving a flurry of answers at one time. "Oh, I see you are! It's a little bit cold this time of year for swimming though isn't it?" Everyone at the table froze, and it took everything in Rachel not to laugh at the conflicted expression on her teammates faces. "I wrecken you all would know more about it than I would though" she chuckled. "There's a community center with an industrial pool not too far from here if y'all need to get in some practice, let me know if you need directions" she offered brightly before walking off to place the orders. As soon as she was gone, the whole table burst into laughter and just like that their lovely night began.

* * *

"Okay guys, here are the keys. Girls, you two stick together, alright? Guys, split the rooms up however. We have an early morning, so get some sleep" Will instructed, handing out the room keys just before he disappeared down the hall into his own room. All heads watched his depart, and as soon as the door closed the frenzy began. She pulled the key in her hand tightly to her as her friends fought over and sorted out the others. She knew that Tina and Mike would end up together, so she quietly walked away from the group to her room.

Rachel unlocked the door and walked into the decently spaced room, eying the full sized bed, the television in the front of the room, the tiny bathroom, and the heating and cooling unit in the corner. She set her bags down beside the bed, and started to pull out her toiletries for the night. She quickly showered, dressed for bed and was flipping through the channels on the television when the knock sounded on her door.

"Finn" she asked, her eyes immediately traveling down his pajama clad body to the suitcase in his hands. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't stay in Puck's room, two straight dudes shouldn't share a bed, and he called dibs. Mike and Tina are in one, Blaine got the only other room, and that would just be weird so...Do you mind, if I um, if I crash in here with you" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as his cheeks reddened again. It was cute how often she was seeing him blush lately, something she could definitely get used to. "I could even make a pad on the floor if you would be more comfortable with that" he rambled. "I did boy scouts and did a lot of camping when I was younger so I've slept in worse conditions. One time in high school I even-"

"Finn, it's fine. I would think we're comfortable enough to handle sharing a bed" she said coolly, stepping back to allow him inside the room. Her heart flipped inside her chest when he crossed the threshold, and she did a small victory dance behind him as he moved to place his bag down on the opposite side of the bed.

"Aren't you supposed to be hanging some clothing up" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. "I'm pretty sure Kurt gave specific orders" she teased, sitting down on the edge of the bed and scooting backward.

"Yeah well he's not here is he" Finn retorted, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste out of his bag.

"I don't know, this is Kurt we're talking about. He could very likely pop out of that closet any second to lecture us on not listening to him" she smiled, eyes darting over near the closet even though she had said it jokingly. Kurt really was something serious. "I could see it happening" she added with a fond smile.

"He likes you" Finn said simply, in way of response. "My mom does too." She stopped breathing at the small admission, offering him a small smile before he disappeared into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

She tousled her hair in his absence, checking her own breath even though she had just brushed her own teeth, and stretched out under the covers as attractively as she could without looking slutty.

"What are you watching" he asked upon return, immediately giving her deja vu of their night together so long ago. It didn't help at all when he lifted the covers and lowered himself onto the bed next to her. She could feel the heat coming from his body in their close proximity; he was pretty huge and it was only a full sized bed. Given, it was bigger than her dorm room bed had been, but still. It had been a while since they were this intimately close. It was intoxicating.

"Um, nothing really. I was just flipping through channels and such. I'll probably fall asleep before long, so you can pick whatever you want" she suggested, leaning her head against the fluffy pillow. He leaned back as well, propping his head up on his arm as he started to flip. In spite of her words she released a small squeal when he reached a channel playing 'Pretty Woman' and she tried to hide her guilty look when he looked over at her with a chuckle. He wordlessly laid the remote control on the bedside table, and settled back to watch the movie.

"We don't really have to watch this Finn, pick what you want."

"Nah, it's cool. I actually really like this movie. Kurt forced it on me a long time ago, and it turned out to not be so bad."

"Kurt has good opinions" she said purposefully, he liked _her_ after all, and she couldn't argue with his taste in film.

"Plus Julia Roberts is super hot in this movie" he added with a smirk, earning an eye roll from her.

"In spite of your objectification, I must agree with you that this is a wonderful movie. I've loved it since I was just a small girl. Julia Roberts in an incredible actress overall, but she really does an amazing job in this particular movie" she said, before looking up at him with a grin. "And yeah, she is hot."

Finn laughed loudly at her, making the bed vibrate slightly with the shake of his body. It was actually a comforting feeling. "Right?"

"I've always been fascinated with acting, and movies, and plays and such. I've been obsessed with the musical Wicked since my dads took me to see it at the age of twelve. I didn't know it at the time, but I think it was because of my mom." She wasn't sure why she was sharing this with Finn, maybe it was the intimate setting, or the air of comfortableness engulfing them, but once she started she couldn't stop. She didn't think she wanted to. "She was a theater teacher, as I told you, and according to my dads she was involved from the arts at a very young age; it was her passion. I guess that's why I've always been so drawn to it, that was her coming out in me you know? I wasn't completely sure until I started college though, and I took my first acting class. There's something so freeing about performing, capturing peoples attention and being whoever you want to be. It's like, some sort of therapy, but maybe that's just me" she sighed, feeling the burn of his deep brown gaze on her cheek. "It makes me feel really connected to her, like I'm letting some part of her shine through me even though she's not around to see it. It's like proof that she really is my mom, that there really is a bond there. Is that weird" she asked, turning to meet his gentle stare.

"It's not weird at all Rachel, it makes a lot of sense. My biological dad died when I was just a baby, so I never had any kind of relationship with him either, not that I could remember at least" he whispered, looking straight at the t.v. "When I got big enough, I really missed that feeling of connection to, even though I'd never really consciously had it. I used to sit in his old chair and pretend he was rocking me and I'd talk to him, or I'd go stare at his picture on the wall and try to find myself in his face. I had convinced myself that we were twins, any time I looked in the mirror it was like he was there with me, like I was carrying him around" he smiled, turning to face her again. "So no I don't think it's weird, I get it." He reached down beside the bed, digging around in his bag before producing his wallet. After some more flipping he pulled out a photo, boring a man with very familiar brown eyes dressed in a military uniform. She immediately realized who it was, and she fought the tears that sprang to her eyes when she realized how deep this was for him to share.

"Ah, I definitely see the resemblance" she whispered, reaching over to squeeze his hand. He stroked a finger over the face of the picture, and gave her a small but genuine smile before replacing it in his wallet and putting it back in his bag. In a strange way, she felt like he had just introduced her to his father, and she was honored to have something so precious shared with her.

"Yeah, I told you so. We're some attractive Hudson men" he said smugly, turning to her with his trademark lopsided smile.

"Eh, maybe more him than you" she shot back.

"Pssh. We both know I'm a prime example of an attractive young man" he said, lifting his chin to look down his nose at her.

"Maybe when Kurt dresses you" she grinned, laughing at his surprised expression before he composed himself. "I hear he does your laundry too" she teased.

"Don't judge me, that's for women...and Kurt. And if I'm not mistaken he was dying to make some adjustments to your wardrobe too midget." Dangitt, he had her there.

Deciding to deflect the insult, she rolled her eyes and gave him a weak push. "Would you quit yapping, I'm trying to watch a movie" she stage whispered, sticking her tongue out at him and earning a chuckle.

She didn't stay awake much longer however, her eyes drooped lower and lower, the long drive and the change in location taking their toll on her body. She rolled over onto her side as the sleep weighed down on her. She could hear the steady hum of the air unit, the famous words 'Cinder-fucking-rella' and felt what certainly seemed like the gentle pressure of lips on her temple before she was lost to the darkness.

_**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee or any of the lyrics used in this story; though I'm obsessed with both.**_

_**"If you came to me empty handed, I'd brave your ocean to bring you home. And if you came to me empty heart-ed, I'd find the pieces to make you whole. If I fell into you would it be close enough? If I finally let you in would you show me what love is, if I had nothing to give?" **_

_**-from 'Empty Handed' **_

Rachel woke up even before her alarm went off, a steady beat against her warm cheek, and a low, deep, almost growling sound rousing her. Slowly she opened one eye, and then the other to find the source. She had one arm flung across Finn's chest, her head resting on his broad chest while his gentle snoring filtered straight down to her ears. She smiled sleepily to herself when she felt the pressure of his arm lightly draped around her waist, holding her in place. She laid there soaking up the unconscious embrace, wondering how he would feel if he had been the one to wake up first, when her phone started to vibrate against the nightstand. Grudgingly, Rachel rolled over, disentangling herself from him to stop the interruption. She snatched the phone up along with her room key to take the call.

"Brit, what's up? Is everything okay" she whispered into the mouth piece.

"_I'm sorry to call so late Rachel, I know it's probably like three in the morning or something wherever you're at, but I needed to ask you something._"

She smiled at her friends logic, knowing there was no point in correcting her. "Don't worry about it Brit, you're not bothering me. What did you need?"

"_I can't remember where I put Lord Tubbington's favorite bowl. You know the blue one with the gold stars you decorated for his birthday?_"

"Brittany, I'm sure it's in the top corner of your closet. Isn't that where you always keep it?"

"_Of course, duh. I'll check there next_" she said brightly, pausing on the line.

Rachel waited for a few seconds, waiting for her friend to continue, or at least to say that she had found said bowl. It had been in the same place since Rachel had crafted it for him, it was strange even for Brittany that she would forget that.

"Did you find it Brit" Rachel asked as the silence persisted.

"_Oh yeah, here it is, thanks Rachel_."

Her brow furrowed, absolutely positive that she hadn't heard any movement, or opening of any doors on the other end of the phone. "Did you need anything else?"

"_Not really...just, when are you coming home_?" she asked, the pout ringing in her tone.

"I'll be home late tomorrow night, why, miss me?" she questioned, grinning as she tried to picture the expression on her dear friends' face.

"_I do_" she whined, and Rachel could even hear her flop down on the bed. "_Santana misses you too. She told me not to call because you're probably sucking face and getting it in with the frat boy, but I wanted to anyway. We never hang out anymore, I miss my sweet lady kisses_" she whined.

"Brittany, I miss you too. But you do know that we don't share lady kisses, that's you and Santana."

"_That doesn't mean I don't think about them_" she answered, making Rachel burst out into laughter.

"God, I miss you guys" she said, wiping a laughing tear from her eye. "When I get back we'll have a full out sleepover to make up for missed time, deal?"

"_Only if you're down for the lady kisses_" she heard Santana call from the background and her heart smiled even more.

"Tell her not to get her hopes up" Rachel giggled, turning her head as Will emerged from his room.

"Good morning Rachel, is Tina up?"

"Oh, um, not quite yet. She was still asleep, but I'll wake her up" she sputtered, taking a step defensively in front of the door. "I'll go around and knock on people's doors since I'm already up, you finish getting ready" she offered, hopefully avoiding a big blow up.

"Thank you Rachel. Tell everybody to be downstairs in the lobby in no later than forty five minutes" he said with a smile before returning into his room. Whew.

"What was that about hobbit? And why do you sound all squirrely?"

"Because" she started, grinning to herself as she finally spilled to her friends. "It's not really Tina in my bed."

"_Holy shit_" she heard, followed by the sound of tussling then Santana's voice directly through the speaker. "_You're shitting me, Andre the Frat Giant is in your bed? You little slut" _she cried_. "Did you sleep together? Is he as big down there as he looks? I want details!_"

"Tana" Rachel laughed, clutching the phone closer to her ear as if the said giant could hear the girls shrieks through both the phone and the door. "I did not have sex with him last night, we just shared a bed" she clarified, not a lie at all. She knew sharing the whole truth wasn't to be done over the phone, no it was definitely a topic for their impending sleepover. "There were sparks though. I think he might really like me" she whispered, looking back in paranoia.

"_Did he try to screw you? Did he kiss you? Are you gonna sleep with him? I'm dying over here Berry, spill._"

"I don't know what's going to happen Tana, but I do think he kissed me on the head before I fell asleep last night" she said, smiling at the fuzzy memory.

"_Well that's not weird at all. What is he, some sort of perv?_"

"While I wouldn't completely deny that he is a slight pervert at times, what he did was sweet, not weird at all" she defended, crossing her arms over her chest even though she couldn't see her.

"_Whatever, you're giving me a migraine with the vagueness. Hurry home so we can talk._"

"Because you miss me" Rachel taunted with a grin as she heard Santana making gagging sounds. "Say it, or I'll find a hobo down here to live with, and I won't come home at all" she laughed. "Then you'll never know."

"_That's the stupidest thing I've heard since you started yapping about that giant pool boy being beautiful. But fine, I do miss you hobbit. So hurry home, and bring snacks"_ she added.

"I miss you too too sweetheart" Rachel cooed into the phone, practically hearing Santana's eyes roll. "See you soon" she finished, blowing kisses into the phone before hanging up.

Her morning had definitely been made, twice over, and the grin stayed glued to her face as she opened the door to her room, finding Finn up and walking towards her. He had his bag in hand, and an almost guilty expression on his face. The image instantly pained her, too close to what she had walked back in to find on the night that he didn't stay.

"Leaving again" she asked airily, looking down at the ground to hide her anger, balling her hands into fists at her side.

"Um, I was actually going to take a shower" he answered, moving past her to set his bag down in the small bathroom. "Was that your boyfriend on the phone" he asked quietly, bending down to remove his toiletries and underclothes from the bag. He looked up to her when she didn't answer, her mouth hanging open in shock. Crap, she'd been caught. "I heard you saying I miss you and blowing kisses and stuff" he continued, rubbing the back of his neck before standing and looking down at her imploringly.

"That was just Santana and Brittany on the phone. They miss me, and we're scheduling a big girl's night for when I get back, so it was nothing romantic if that's what you were thinking. Though I can't say that their intentions might be slightly more than platonic if I'd allow, but that's all" she said, more than relieved that he hadn't heard her talking about him.

He nodded silently, his brow coming out of it's furrow with every word she spoke. "Cool. So um, if it had been a guy, like, if you had a boyfriend, you would tell me" he said barely above a whisper, turning his back to her to test the temperature of the water.

"Of course I would Finn, you know that" she whispered back, pushing her hair out of her face to better watch the muscles in his thin t-shirt clad back move. "How about you? Would you tell me, if you had a girlfriend, or something" she asked. It was fair game, he had asked her.

"I don't usually do the girlfriend thing, you know that" he called quietly, turning on the shower head and pulling the curtain. "But if I did, I think you'd be the first to know. Anyway, I'm about to shower so..." he trailed off, reaching down and yanking the shirt over his head.

Oh dear God his bare chest, she had almost forgotten how glorious his body was. Her throat dried as she stared at him, unable to scowl or look away when she saw him smirking at her gaze.

"See something you like" he teased, his cocky grin now even more pronounced.

"You wish" she shot back lamely, shaking her head of the inappropriate but wholly desirable thoughts. "Make sure to scrub the jerk off, it tends to stick to you" she called, sticking her tongue out at him before shutting the bathroom door on him with a smile.

* * *

"Okay guys, this is it" Will cried, clapping a hand on both Finn and Mike's shoulders. "I'm so proud of you all, I keep saying it, but I really do mean it. No matter what the turn out, I'm insanely proud of all of you and glad we got to share this experience together" he smiled, moving around to place hands on Puck and Blaine. "That being said, let's get out there and kick some ass! We've been practicing like champions, let's show these guys what we're made of" he cried, being met with enthusiastic cheers from the whole group.

She looked around 'The Underground', the pool hall of the Tennessee University, noting its vast size compared to The Playground. It was massive, like there had to be triple the tables here than there were back at home. At each one of the tables were people she had never seen before, moving around the table with such grace, knocking balls in with perfect precision. It was a little intimidating, but she had all the faith in the world in her boys.

It was definitely going to be a long day though. There were only eighty five people playing in the tournament, and the entirety would be played throughout the day. Meaning they had fifteen minute lunch breaks, given they weren't disqualified, and then another fifteen minute dinner break, that was it. The team had already decided that if any of them were still playing through the breaks, they would run to the on-campus diner and bring back food for them to eat. And yes, that did mean that Rachel would search every convenient store and snack bar on the grounds to acquire a bag of sour patch kids and possibly even a yoohoo for Finn when that time came. She didn't consider that special treatment at all, more like a reward.

"They're really freaking good huh" Puck spoke from beside her, rubbing his chin as if he were stroking an evil beard. "We might need some extra help."

"Noah, you know that I am very opposed to cheating" she chided, looking around, "however, I will be performing my flawless Jedi mind tricks from the sidelines for you guys. I got your back" she added, tapping the side of her head as Finn rolled his eyes at her.

"That's weak Rach, we need something concrete, like a distraction" he mused, his eyes traveling until they landed on her, traveling up her frame and to her eyes. "I got it! Okay, get this" he said, throwing an arm around she and Finn's shoulders to whisper his plan. "If it looks like we're getting beat, you sit right across from the table, bend over, and flash 'em your boobs. Bam! Distraction" he cheered lowly, pumping both fists around them.

"Dude" Finn started, trying to hide his laugh.

"That is absolutely deplorable, and insane" she finished, glaring at Puck. "Furthermore-"

"Right, your boobs probably aren't big enough to get the job done" he interrupted, looking thoughtful again. "Maybe we can get Tina to do that, she's got a nice set. But what can you do? Hmm..." he thought as she ground her jaw again. "Oh okay! You're into all that theater and shit, you can pull this off. If one of us is getting beat, like bad in the final rounds or something, you pull out all the stops and start throwing up. I mean like, gagging really loud and making a scene and all that close by. It'll blow them all up and we'll gain the edge" he finished triumphantly, staring at her horrified expression. "Don't be a chicken Berry, you can do it."

"She actually can't, no gag reflex" Finn answered for her, all three of their eyes going wide at the admission.

"What? How the hell do you know that" Puck asked, releasing his arms from around them.

"Uh, she umm, she told me once. Like a long time ago, over food or something" Finn rambled, pulling on the collar of his shirt, completely missing the flabbergasted look Puck was aiming at Rachel. "You know how random our conversations are, I don't even really remember the details and stuff. Did anybody see where the bathroom is?"

"_Shut up_" she mouthed to him, positive that her cheeks were fire engine red.

"Nah, but I'm about to go find it, gotta drain the snake" he said, tossing Rachel a wink before leaving them behind.

Seconds later her phone buzzed and she looked down, an enormous grin stretching her face.

**Holy shit, you just turned my boy into a stuttering, blubbering idiot...That I have never seen, what are you doing to him? Cause it's working :)**

"Umm, sorry about that" he mumbled, his cheeks an adorable pink as he held the pool cue in his hand.

"Don't worry about it, I don't think he caught on" she lied, shrugging her shoulders. "Are you nervous?"

"Not at all actually, I feel really good. I'm kinda pumped" he answered, giving her a dazzling smile.

"You should be, you'll be great. And just in case the nerves or pressure do catch up to you, I brought you a surprise, don't tell Noah" she added, reaching into her pocket.

"Really" he asked, his eyes shining down at her in happy surprise.

She opened her hand to him, holding out a shiny silver chain with a small ring dangling from it. She watched as the comprehension crossed his face, his bright lopsided smile gracing his lovely face almost instantly, making her heart melt.

"You kept that? After all this time?"

"Of course I did. I don't know about you, but I take my marriage seriously" she said in mock sternness, motioning for him to stoop down. He did so wordlessly, and she latched the chain around his neck. "You gave me this ring on the day that you taught me how to fish, and it was kind of my good luck charm, so maybe it can work the same for you" she declared, smiling at her handiwork.

"That's really nice Rachel, but you kinda sucked that day. Wouldn't that make this the opposite of helpful" he said, arching an eyebrow at her playfully.

"I did not suck Finn. I had a lot of heart, and I did my very best, which is what we want you to do, so it works. Stop trying to ruin the moment."

"Yes ma'am" he answered, mock saluting her before tucking the ring safely into the collar of his shirt. Lucky ring. "Thanks Rachel."

"No problem" she smiled, her eyes locked on his as the announcer called over the system for the players to gather round for their first matches. "Good luck Finn, I'll be rooting for you" she said, tapping her temple yet again and making him smile. She stepped forward quickly, brushing her lips across his cheek in a good luck kiss and pulled back to grin at him.

"Copycat" he whispered, alluding to the goodnight kiss from the night before. Her smile widened as he turned from her, heading off towards the big group to take his place.

* * *

It was completely silent in the room aside from the sound of the cues making contact with the balls, and it was absolutely nerve wracking. She barely had any fingernails left at all by the time Finn had reached his sixth match. He was still undefeated, and he had been on a roll so far, but this particular opponent was really getting to her. He had broke and ran the table the first game out of five. Finn was visibly shaken when they started the second match, missing his first shot and watching as the boy ran five balls off of the table before Finn got to shoot again. He had been subtly bringing his hand up to where she was sure the ring was resting on his chest, rubbing softly all morning, but his hand was pretty much glued to the space now.

"I'm freaking out Blaine, oh my God. Look at his face, he's freaking out" she whispered, clutching his hand as tightly as possible. He had stuck by her side almost the entire time. Every once in a while he would walk over to find out how Mike, who's side Tina never left, was doing, as well as Puck. She was so thankful, he had held her hand, and talked her down through all the tough matches, close calls, and winning shots.

"Calm down Rachel, Finn knows what he's doing. If he sees us getting anxious, he'll get anxious" he whispered back, giving her hand a small squeeze. He was right, of course he was right.

She watched him, staring at the table, trying to decide on his plan of action. He moved around, eating up time, and chalking his stick repeatedly, probably from the nerves. She felt so sorry for him, she wanted to run over to that table, smooth the worried line out of his forehead, take the crinkle out of his eyebrows and make him smile. He must have been thinking similar thoughts, because he looked up to her then, his worried eyes boring into hers. She gave him the brightest smile she could muster, before looking over to see that his opponent wasn't looking. Pleased with his inattention, she leaned forward, pushing her breasts together with her elbows and playfully supplying him with the slight view down her shirt Puck had joked about. She made an exaggerated duck face at him and instantly saw his face erupt into a wide smile, a small chuckle slipping from his lips.

Mission Accomplished.

She beamed back at him as he shook his head before finally leaning over the table. He pushed his stick forward with pure ease, knocking the object ball straight into it's pocket flawlessly. She snatched Blaine's hand in her own, bouncing in her seat when he looked up to her again with a victorious smile. He reached down to pull the ring out from his shirt, his eyes locked on hers as he brought the small ring to his lips, then tucked it back into his shirt.

"Yours, I presume" Blaine asked.

She nodded, not the least bit trying to hide it as she watched Finn sink his next shot. There were no words for how happy it made her feel to watch him succeed. Her heart swelled to double it's size, and it felt like the smile would be permanently etched onto her face as she watched the boy that held his heart in her hands overcome and succeed. It made it all the much better that she was somehow involved. The matching smile graced his face as he moved about the table, now completely back in his groove.

"He loves you, you know" Blaine said softly. She turned to look at him, her mouth open in shock. She knew that she loved Finn, there was no doubting that, but the idea of loving her back seemed so strange. Could he really? "I don't know if he knows it or not, but he definitely does" he smiled, giving her hand another squeeze before getting up to check on the others.

She blinked as the thoughts flooded her mind, was it even possible? He had never expressed as much, but he couldn't deny that there was definitely a strong connection between the two of them. Rachel looked up then, eyes falling on the object of her musings. His hand was over the space yet again as the next game started, a distant, warm smile on his face as he softly rubbed at the spot. He felt her gaze and looked over at her, sticking out his tongue and crossing her eyes, making her giggle to herself.

* * *

True to her word she had scoured the school for sour patch kids right before lunch, and even brought him a yoohoo for dinner. The hours had been excruciating, each match the closer to the end they got more stressful than the last. She had moved on from her fingernails, to picking at the ends of her hair as she watched Finn. She had moved around to every table he occupied, acting as his personal cheerleader, and silent Jedi mind trick specialist. Today had been a truly amazing day for him, she had seen him play better than ever before. She had proudly watched him run racks of balls, make difficult shots that she had never even seen him attempt before, and was extremely proud of the way he would shake each opponents hand after, completely gracious whereas some others were complete assholes. No matter the outcome, he truly would be the exemplary champion of the tournament, at least in her book.

She wasn't sure what his rank was so far, or how much longer he would have to go if he won this particular match. He had only lost one match so far, meaning that if he lost again he would be disqualified. Puck and Mike had both been knocked out of the bracket just the last round, so they were all crowded around Finn's table now.

The blonde, overly skinny boy that was his opponent had ran the rest of the rack that Finn had left after his break, then immediately broke the balls himself and ran those as well. She could see the defeat on Finn's face, but it wasn't as bad this time. Probably because it wasn't just defeat, it was awe as well. His eyes were glued to the way the small boy worked the table, knocking in a ball and getting the cue ball to land perfectly in place for his next shot. He made it look like pure magic. She could imagine that if he had to lose out to anybody, it might as well be this guy, he was incredible.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. Finn got to shoot exactly three more times before the match was over. Her heart didn't plummet in her chest as she had thought it would however, she was still so proud of him. He had shown exactly what he could do on those tables today, he out-shined so many people, and did so with more grace and humility than she had even thought possible from him. She smiled as she watched him talking animatedly with the boy who had beaten him, both boys smiling and even chuckling a little towards the end. They finally shook hands, and Finn made his way over to the group.

"Whoa stalkers" he joked, plopping down beside Will. "Any word on our stats yet?"

"Not yet, I'm about to go check now. I didn't wanna leave any of your sides until it was done" he said, giving Finn a hug just as he had done Mike and Puck before walking off to talk to the officials.

"You were amazing" Rachel said, reaching over to squeeze his knee from where she sat tucked into Puck's arm. He hadn't taken the loss quite as graciously as Finn and Mike had.

"Thanks Rach" he smiled, before eying Puck. "Dude, you're not gonna cry are you" he laughed, dodging Puck's kick before pounding fists with Blaine and Mike.

"Screw you" Puck spat, dramatically turning his head to drop on Rachel's shoulder. She giggled at the action, surprised when he yanked back from her. "Holy shit, I'm turning into you. This is getting to me, I gotta get out of here, I need some air" he cried, shooting up from his seat to head in the direction of the bathroom.

The small group laughed at him when he departed, immediately launching into stories of their individual matches and challenges. Before long, both Puck and Will had returned. Puck sank back down next to Rachel, she patted his knee, offering her shoulder to him yet again. With a loud sigh he leaned over, propping his head on her as they awaited the news. Finn, on the other side of her, wordlessly reached over, taking her tiny hand in his.

"Okay guys. They're on the final round now as you can tell" he said, motioning around the mostly cleared out room, "so it won't be actually official until the very end, but I have the numbers. There were eighty five competitors today, and only the top twelve are invited to play in Nationals." Finn's hand tightened around hers slightly, and she squeezed back reassuringly, smiling slightly when she felt Puck's loud sigh against her shoulder. "Spot number ten, belongs to Mr. Mike Chang. Spot number twelve belongs to Noah Puckerman, and number seven-" he smiled, not even getting the rest of his sentence out before they all shot up out of their seats.

They danced among themselves, cheering quietly since the tournament was still technically going on. Out of nowhere Blaine came around, grasping her hands and hopping around in a circle with her. As soon as she was released, she found herself swept up in a Mike and Tina sandwich hug, then was passed onto Puck who squeezed her tightly before promptly mussing her hair. Through his joy he nodded behind her with a smile, spinning her around to face Finn. She fell right into his strong arms and he lifted her into the air, his face buried in her hair while his arms wrapped around her securely. She locked both arms around his neck, breathing him in as she giggled in complete ecstasy. He spun them around, holding her tightly to his chest as she murmured 'congratulations' and 'you were great' into his ear repeatedly.

When he finally placed her down on the ground, his arms remained looped around her waist, his beaming smile shining down at her. "You were amazing Finn, I'm so proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you" he breathed, pushing a stray hair out of her face. "This thing really is like magic, I'm keeping it" he grinned, pulling out the small ring.

"Oh you didn't really need that, you would've done well all on your own. You're extremely talented Finn" she praised, a little heady at the fact that he was still holding her before she cheekily added "I should know, I'm talented too."

"I'll say. Your Jedi mind tricks are something serious" he said mock seriously, grinning when she punched him lightly in the gut. "Ouch, geez learn how to take a compliment" he laughed. "But seriously, that distraction technique turned way of loosening me up was _very_ impressive" he said, his eyes traveling down to her cleavage, heating every inch of skin that they passed over before returning to her lips. His licked his own as he watched her mouth, his head moving down towards hers almost involuntarily.

"I thought you might enjoy that" she breathed, too weak to pull back as the distance between them seemed to get smaller.

"And you were more than right" he whispered, now close enough for her to easily trace the light dusting of freckles scattered across his nose.

"Okay guys" Will announced, breaking the spell momentarily as he called the increasingly rowdier groups attention. She blinked repeatedly as she looked up, shaking the Finn induced haze from her mind as she looked around. "Do you wanna stick around to the end, see it made official, or do you wanna go ahead and head out? We'll get the email confirmation with the ranks as soon as it's over if we choose to live, so it's completely up to you guys. Whatever you want, this is your night" he cheered, almost bouncing from joy.

All six of the teammates looked around to each other, silently trying to come to a consensus before Puck finally spoke. "It's only midnight, I say we go out on the town tonight, and celebrate. We're going to Nationals baby" he cheered, his infectious enthusiasm immediately pulling everyone on board.

"Looks like that's settled" Will chuckled, "but no one back at the school is to learn of this. No pictures, no tweeting, this is our secret okay. If word gets out, I'll say you all escaped without my notice" he warned, jingling his keys for the team to follow him.

"Yes" Puck cheered, pumping his fist before running over to toss his arm around Rachel's shoulders. "Tonight is gonna be epic. I've never been with a woman from Tennessee, I wonder if they're kinky" he mused.

She wasn't paying attention though, she was watching Finn, walking along beside them, darting glances over at her as they made their way out of the school. It had been a while since she had gone out in general, much less with Finn along for the ride. The last time had been at his crossing party, she wasn't likely to forget that anytime soon. She smiled as she re-lived the memory, remembering Finn's eyes on her as she danced her heart out for him, the way he held her close and (attempted) to move his body in sync with hers. The feeling had been purely intoxicating, and the thought of possibly re-enacting some of those things, even more amplified this time, was making her heart race as he held the door open for her to climb into the van.

_**Thanks for reading! Hope you're enjoying, we are nearing the end people!**_

_**Thanks so much for all of your reviews, and support!**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, or any of the lyrics used in this story.**_

_**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for me to update! I have been SO busy, but here I am with a new chapter for you! Hope that you enjoy! And as always, thank you so much for all of the support, I hope that you stick with me! **_

_**"Shadows above the sand, I waited so long to hold your hand. Falling in love helpless, just acting stupid like kids. We're so distracted, yeah we been careless, it's not too late. Baby open your eyes and hold on tight, just keep running and we can stay up all night, don't let go, don't let go."**_

_**-from 'Don't Let Go'**_

"Now that's a smile" Puck said with a grin, nudging her in the side as they made their way down the sidewalk. Rachel might have been scared of walking around a new city at night, unchaperoned, however she was still on a high from the events of the day. Will had decided to stay back at the hotel and let them have the night on their own as long as they promised to come in at a reasonable time, not to get into any trouble, and not to bring back any strangers. Of course, no one expected any less from Puck.

She shoved her hands down into the pockets of her jacket, wrapping it tighter around herself to further block out the cold air. "I don't know what you mean" she answered nonchalantly.

"No need to lie to me Berry, if anybody knows why, I do" he smirked. "This really has come a long way huh?"

"It certainly seems that way" she grinned.

"All thanks to my genius of course" he continued, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Your planning would be nothing without my flawless execution" she countered with a grin.

"Yeah yeah. Let's just agree that we make a good team" he offered, placing an arm around her shoulder as she nodded. "And the two of you make a good couple" he stated, making her pause her steps slightly.

"_Couple_? We haven't, I mean...did he say something? I-"

"Calm down woman, I'm just saying, I don't think it will be long" he replied quietly, subtly looking around to make sure none of the others were listening. Luckily Finn was just far enough behind to be out of earshot, engaged in easy conversation with Mike while Tina and Blaine navigated ahead.

"You really think so" she asked quietly, chewing her lower lip, fighting the hope that was springing in her heart.

"Who knows. Just...have fun tonight" he said simply, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "You deserve it, you both do. Have fun, but be smart" he added before rushing forward to assist Blaine.

Rachel followed them, lost in her own thoughts as they walked, mulling over Puck's words in her mind. What did he mean to _have fun_? Surely he didn't mean to engage in carnal activity with Finn again, did he? She couldn't deny that there was a part of her that wanted it more than anything, but she wasn't going to make that mistake of doing that too soon. What she was most concerned though was his thought that maybe they would be a couple soon. Could it really be? Sure, things had taken a turn for the best lately, and he certainly seemed interested, but that didn't necessarily mean it was true. It was so easy to misread things with Finn, he never really let you know where you stood with him. She was always filling in the blanks for herself, and she needed more.

Rachel was roused from her internal ramblings by a garbled sound beside her, someone was talking to her. She looked over to find a strange man in a trench coat, his wide eyes gazing at her, his lips moving, creating a jumbled sound that she couldn't quite make out.

"Excuse me" she asked, her eyes scrunching together as she tried to understand the admittedly creepy looking man stepping uncomfortably closer to her.

Immediately she felt an arm around her waist, pulling her away. Rachel looked up to find Finn, holding her close to his side as he strode them down the sidewalk, away from the man. "Wait, Finn-" she started.

"Have you never seen a scary movie Rach? You were like two seconds from being snatched up and tossed into the back of his van with a jar full of candy and duct tape" he said lowly, his hand securely on her side as he walked.

"Finn, though I do understand that is a valid worry, I hardly think that was the case here. He looked homeless, I highly doubt he has a van to stuff me in" she scolded, stopping in place and making him stop too. She turned back, purposely striding towards the man, Finn hot on her heels the entire time, a loud groan escaping his lips.

Upon further inspection she could see the cleared out space behind where the man stood, apparently his living quarters. She could clearly see the tattered clothing that he wore, the old faded hat, and all of the holes in his jacket, and her heart squeezed when she watched him shiver. Sure he could be a fake, this could all be costume, and he could be making a mint on just the people that were sympathetic enough to give to him, but that wasn't what mattered. What mattered, was that she couldn't see another human being, who might legitimately be much less fortunate than her suffer and just turn her back on them.

"Here you go sir, I hope you have a Merry Christmas" she smiled, pulling a few dollar bills out of her pocket to hand to the poor man. The brilliant, gracious smile that lit up his sunken, dirty face was all of the assurance that she needed. She returned the genuine smile before turning for a final time to catch up to her friends.

"Wow Rachel. That was really...good" Finn said from beside her, now sticking even closer presumably to protect her from random street walkers and their dangerous vans.

"It was right. It felt right. I couldn't just walk away from him you know? He's a person just like us, just looks a lot different on the outside" she answered with a small shrug.

"I like how you always see the good in people" he mused quietly, looking down at the sidewalk in front of them. "I don't know how you do that."

"I believe people can change, they can grow. You just have to give them the chance" she answered lowly, toying with her hair.

"Maybe" he whispered, pausing as they approached the tall building they were looking for, 'The Tower'.

"Wow" they all breathed in unison, staring up at the aptly named building. Rachel had to tilt her head all the way backward to see where the top spread out in a large circular form, lights flashing out through the windows.

"Hell yeah! Let's get this party started" Puck cried, slapping high five with Mike before leading them in to the elevator.

* * *

"This is so...futuristic" Rachel said loudly into Puck's ear as he led them over to the bar. Her eyes traveled around the room set high up in the air. She could clearly see far parts of the city beneath through the full length windows surrounding the lounge. Part of her wondered if that was safe considering that most of the people here were drunk, but safe or not it was definitely cool. Everything was bright and flashy, the tiles on the floor even glowed in random patterns.

"If futuristic means badass" he corrected. "Do you want anything to drink" he asked, looking down at her.

"Umm, no thanks" she said, shaking her head. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble for underage drinking in another state. Besides, she didn't necessarily trust herself around Finn with alcohol in her system, she definitely remembered last time.

"Lame! What about you bro" he asked, turning to Finn with a raised eyebrow.

"Nah dude, I'm good" he answered.

"God, I feel like I'm out with a group of old people" Puck said, rolling his eyes before placing his drink order. Mike and Tina joined him in getting drinks and they moved over to a round, spacious couch positioned right across from the space people were dancing.

"This is really nice" Tina spoke, gripping the clear cup filled with blue liquid in her hand. "I feel like I'm in a movie or something."

"It really is" Blaine agreed, looking around the large room. "The set up is so unique, look at the way the D.J-"

"Blah blah, it's freaking epic, we know. Who's going to help me sort through the babes? If I don't get a taste of a Tennessee broad, I'm taking it out on all of you" he said, scoping the crowd all the while. "God, there's so many to choose from" he groaned. "Come on Finn, let's get to work we ain't got all night."

"You go ahead man" Finn called over the music from beside Rachel, making her smile. "Last time I checked you're the one with the room to yourself, so live it up" he added.

"Suit yourself" Puck called, shooting Rachel a subtle wink before disappearing onto the dance floor, the beer held high in his hand.

"You're really not going to be his wingman" Rachel challenged, looking up at Finn. Realizing that he hadn't heard her over the change in music, she leaned closer, placing a hand on his knee to steady herself, sure that sounded like a good enough reason. "Are you really not going to be his wingman?"

"Nah, he knows what he's doing" he said loudly.

"Still. You could go along for the ride. You might even find a girl yourself. Don't tell me you're not curious about Tennessee's breed of women" she grinned.

"Not really actually. Besides, I'm already sharing a bed with one girl, adding another would just make me a whore" he said, placing a hand over his heart with a small gasp, as if that was such a far stretch for him. She giggled aloud, thrilled at the way he was leaned into her, and that in spite of the many women around them, his eyes had yet to leave her. "You know, unless you're into that kind of thing" he added with a smirk.

"Jerk" she laughed, swatting at his chest playfully. She suddenly saw Blaine from over Finn's shoulder, nodding his head in time with the music as he looked anywhere in the room besides at Mike and Tina attached by the lips beside him, Tina practically in Mike's lap already. "Poor Blaine."

"Huh" Finn asked, turning around to follow her line of sight. "Oh."

"Hey" she called over Finn, trying to catch his attention. When it didn't work, she stood and crossed over Finn, placing herself between the two boys. "Hey, are you having fun" she asked loudly, nudging his side.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sort of. I kind of want to dance, but don't think he'd be too happy if I joined in" he said, nodding in the direction where Puck was bending yet another blonde over, grinding against her, a huge smile on his face.

"You can dance with us" Rachel cheered, turning back around to Finn. "Right? Let's go dance with Blaine, Finn" she said, placing her hand a little higher on his knee.

"Um, you guys go ahead, I'll um, keep our seats" he stuttered, his eyes immediately shooting to where her hand rested.

"Fiiiiinnnnnnn, come on" she pouted, blinking up at him.

"You know I don't really dance Rach. You guys have fun, I'll watch" he insisted.

"But what if someone comes up and offers me candy? And what if they have a van, or duct tape" she asked, smiling sweetly when he narrowed his eyes at her.

"You laugh now" he warned, quickly scanning the room. "But if it would happen you'd be all _'Finn, oh Finn. You were right, why didn't I listen to you'_?"

"Yeah, you will _never_ hear those words come out of my mouth" she laughed, amused at his imitation of her voice. She was _not_ that high pitched, or whiny.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure I've heard at least a few of those words from you before...mostly the first part" he breathed, so close to her ear that she shivered. His eyes were setting her skin on fire, and her breath caught in her throat at his intense gaze.

"Um, well, if you should decide to join us, you'll know where we are" she stuttered, shaking her head and standing from her spot, taking Blaine's hand. She led them out onto the dance floor, mindful to stay within Finn's line of vision before she started to sway to the beat.

"This is really cool, but you didn't have to leave him for me" Blaine said, leaning in to direct his comment into her ear. "I would have been fine."

"No no, I wanted to dance anyway, chances were slim I was going to get Finn to give in. And you aren't the only one who wanted no part in that" she added, looking over to where Puck was surrounded by the blonde and her friends, dirty dancing.

"He's insane" Blaine laughed, twirling Rachel around and pulling her back in.

They danced and laughed together, and soon the next song was starting. She looked up when Mike and Tina approached them, joining in dancing right beside them. She was impressed at the way they moved together, Mike especially. He looked as if he might have had some training before, his body moved so languidly. She smiled at their chemistry, the way they seemed to know exactly which way the other was going to go, and remaining in sync. Immediately reminded of Finn, she turned to where he sat, not at all surprised to find him staring intently at her. It was like deja vu as she watched him watching her, leaned forward in his seat, his mouth slightly open as his eyes stayed trained on her body.

"Somebody get that boy a napkin" Blaine said into her ear, playfully pulling her to him as the song shifted. She giggled at his words, finally turning away from Finn, meeting Blaine's friendly wink. Happy withe the upbeat, heavy bass song now playing, she bounced on her heels, pumping her fist in the air along with the rest of the crowd. She giggled at Blaine's enthusiasm already pulsing to the beat, her hands coming up to tangle in her hair as she lost herself in the music, swaying and rocking however she felt led to. Blaine stayed close to her, rocking along side her, guarding her from the guys dancing nearby. It was comfortable, and fun, and he was actually a really good dancer, but he just wasn't the partner she wanted.

"You keep dancing, I'll be back" she called into his ear, looking over at Finn.

"Go get him gorgeous" Blaine smiled, spinning her around and giving her a small push in his direction. With that he turned back to Tina and Mike, hopping up and down, starting his dance all over again. At least he wouldn't be alone.

"Hey" she smiled, sitting down on the still empty couch beside Finn. "Surprised you're still alone. Are you not any of the Tennessee girls' type?"

"Had a lot of offers actually, but I couldn't really hear any of them over the sound of your cries for my attention out there" he smirked, leaning toward her.

"I'll have you know I was begging for no one's attention. I was just having fun with my friends, you should try it" she retorted, leaning closer to him as well.

"I was having plenty of fun."

"I'm sure you were. I could feel you eye molesting me from across the room. Honestly Finn, telling me to worry about other people, you're the one I should worry about shoving me into the back of a van" she grinned.

"No van, but I do have a truck" he countered. "Though we did drive a van down here so..."

"What a coincidence. Is that candy in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me" she continued with a giggle, eying the bulge in his pants where his phone, she assumed, rested.

"I don't have on slacks tonight, so I guess you wouldn't be able to tell" he smirked, tossing his arm around the back of her seat.

"You're such a dork" she giggled, leaning back against the seat where his arm rested. "You should have come to dance with us. It's no fun seeing you sitting over here by yourself."

"I actually kind of wanted to" he admitted, looking out onto the floor. "But you of all people know I'm not good at it."

"You're not that bad Finn. And at least you tried, you'll never get better if you don't keep at it."

"You should look into being a coach, or some kind of inspirational speaker or something" he grinned, sliding ever so closer to her. "I've actually found myself dancing around some when I'm at the apartment by myself. It's fun, you know, for in private."

"That's ridiculous Finn. You shouldn't be ashamed to do something that you enjoy, or you have fun doing because you aren't necessarily the best at it. Look at him, he looks like some sort of flailing animal, but he's having the time of his life" Rachel said, pointing to where Puck stood. He was now surrounded by a new group of girls, bouncing around between them all, twisting and turning, his hands alternating between fondling them, reaching back to stroke his mohawk, and pumping in the air. "You didn't even look that bad."

"Oh gee thanks" Finn chuckled, shaking his head.

"Seriously. I think its a waste when people don't step up and do what they're passionate about. What are you really living for if you don't open yourself up to your deepest desires, you know? Not in all cases of course, stalking Ian Somerhalder or Paul Wesley any time they went out in public and begging them to marry me wouldn't be the wisest desire to capitalize on, but the simple things definitely. Like dancing, and singing even."

"Singing" he repeated, arching an eyebrow.

"I haven't forgotten about you being in the Glee club in high school. Puck said you were actually really, really good" she said, fidgeting with her fingers. "Do you ever miss it too?"

"I don't know...yeah, sometimes I guess" he murmured, staring off into space. "It was a really huge part of my life, and yeah, I guess I was pretty good, but I wasn't good enough" he spat, lowering his arm to lean forward, resting his forearms on his knees. Without realizing it, she leaned forward as well, matching his pose, but placing a hand above his knee. "It was all a waste of time and energy."

"I don't believe that, not for a second" she said. "You quit, and for your own reasons, I understand that. But none of those meant that you weren't good enough, you just chose to move on. That doesn't mean that you had to remove the music from your life completely though. If you want to sing your heart out, and dance until you drop, then I think you should do it" she finished, squeezing his leg.

"Listen to you Dr. Phil" he smiled softly, placing his hand over her own on his leg. "It seems like we have these little sessions a lot."

"We do, I should start charging you" she grinned, watching him shake his head.

"You really know me too well."

"Not well enough" she countered, blinking at her own forwardness.

"What else do you want to know" he asked, stroking his finger over the skin on the back of her hand. She gulped at the feeling, her heart speeding up, blood rushing to her cheeks under his stare.

"Everything. What else do you want to do that you're afraid of" she asked quietly, locked in the intensity of his gaze.

"I don't think you're ready to hear all of that" he breathed, leaning impossibly closer to her.

"Or maybe you're not ready to admit it" she whispered back, fighting the little voice in her head telling her that she was approaching dangerous waters.

"You say that as if you already know."

"Maybe I do" she said, melting into a puddle of goo when his mouth lifted up into that adorable half smile that drove her nuts. She was beyond thrilled when she watched his eyes trail down from her own, to her lips, then back up again. Just the look on his angel's face pierced her to her core, and she knew that they were thinking the same thing. She wanted it, there was no fighting it. "You know, you can kiss me, if you want to."

"I want to" he breathed. Finn reached his hand up, cradling her face gently before touching his lips to hers for the first time in too long.

The lights exploded behind her eyes just as they had that first time he kissed her, and she immediately melted into his touch. Her heart soared at the feeling as she slid closer to him, bringing a hand up to tangle in his hair as the kiss deepened. The feeling of contentment washed over her as their lips moved together, and she wondered how she had managed to survive without this feeling for so long. Too soon, they both pulled back to catch their breath, eyes locked together.

"Wow" he sighed. One arm wrapped around her waist, fluidly pulling her up onto his lap, and he pushed her hair out of the way to attach his lips to her neck. Midway there he stopped however, his eyes looking past her to the dance floor. His hand rested on her legging-clad thigh, tracing random patters, driving her mad. "Do you want to get out of here, have a little more privacy?"

She stared down at her beautiful boy, his eyes wide as he looked at her hopefully. She stroked the tips of her thumbs across the freckles scattered on his cheekbones before leaning forward to place a sweet kiss on either side of his face. Puck had told her to have fun tonight, and she knew exactly what she wanted.

"Let's go."

* * *

Finn wasted no time upon entering their room, tossing the key to the side and turning to meld their mouths together again. He lifted her up, backing her against the door, and she immediately wrapped her legs around him, her tiny hands fisting into his already messy hair. He gripped her waist tightly, pulling her as close to him as possible as he pressed her into the door, lowering his lips to the skin of her neck.

"_Uhhh Finn_" she moaned, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as he nibbled and licked at her neck.

"God, I missed that sound" he breathed, bucking his hips into hers, making her mouth open in a silent scream.

Suddenly he pulled her away from the door, keeping her wound around him as he sat down on the mattress. Keeping one arm wrapped securely around her, he raised the other to cup her breast, massaging softly.

"_Oh_" she whined, feeling the gentle pressure of his fingers through the thin material of her shirt. Instinctively, she raised her hips up slightly, dropping back down to grind against the hardness she felt between his legs. It was intoxicating to know that she still had that effect on him, after all this time.

"_Fuck_, baby" he groaned, leaning her head back as she continued to ride him through their clothes.

Through the haze of lust, his use of the word baby made her heart clench, and she leaned down to press her lips to his again. Their lips moved together wildly, both fighting for dominance, and she used her momentum from being on top to push him backwards. Once on his back, she rolled over, pulling him so that they were laying on their sides facing each other.

She placed two more pecks to his mouth before pulling back completely, holding his face in her hands. His hand now rested on her ass, squeezing gently.

"Do you want me Finn" she asked, looking up at him through her long lashes, stroking her fingers through the soft locks of his hair.

"God yes, so much" he said quickly, pulling her up against his erection to prove the validity of his answer.

"Enough to wait" Rachel whispered.

"What?"

"Do you want me enough to wait" she repeated, staring up at him intently.

His eyes widened incredulously for a second, then his brows scrunched together in confusion, or frustration. Wordlessly she watched the storm pass through his mind, the different emotions cross over his face. When it looked like he was about to panic, she reached up to smooth the crease between his brows, and leaned forward to place a swift kiss to his lips. He kept his eyes closed for a few seconds when she pulled back, but when he finally looked at her he nodded, sending her heart soaring up into the mountains. She squealed, throwing her arms around his neck, pressing her body flush against his.

"Uh, that's not exactly the best idea if you don't wanna do it" he said softly, looking down at where she was pressed against his still very prominent arousal.

"Oh, right. Oops" she giggled nervously, pulling back away from him. "Um, do you need to, uh-"

"Yeah, probably. Umm, I'll be right back" he mumbled, excusing himself to go to the bathroom.

She cheered internally at the way things were going, ecstatic with his willingness to go along with what she wanted. What felt like an eternity, but was probably only minutes later he returned, standing somewhat awkwardly beside the bed.

"Come on" she smiled, patting the space beside her on the bed. In his absence she had stripped down to her tank top and pulled on her bed shorts. She watched, trying to fight her own libido as Finn yanked his shirt over his head, and pulled off his jeans, remaining in only his boxers. He crawled forward on he bed, pulling the covers over his lap, looking over at her with a puzzled expression marring his beautiful face. "What's wrong?"

"I've never, umm, done _this_ before" he confessed quietly, leaning back onto his pillow.

"Just, do what you feel" she offered, flipping the switch on the bedside lamp, casting the room in darkness.

She shifted over onto her side, scooting backwards into him. Finn's arm came around, draping over her side, holding her against him, and she cuddled further into him. It was a little unsettling how perfectly she seemed to fit into the curve of his body, like she belonged there. Pleased, and comfortable with their position, she sighed in contentment. "Goodnight babe" she whispered thrilled at her own words, bringing his hand up to her lips for a quick kiss before dropping it back into its place.

"Goodnight Rachel."

_**Thank you for reading! Hope you're still enjoying!** _


	20. Chapter 20

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the lyrics used in this story. **_

_**"You're a lover, I'm a runner, and we go round and round. And I love you but I leave you, I don't want you but I need you. Ya know it's you that calls me back here baby." **_

_**from- 'Colder Weather' **_

Rachel opened her eyes wide as soon as the alarm went off the next morning, eager to start the day. In their sleep they must have tossed and turned quite a bit, because they were no longer curled up together. Rather, his head was resting on the far edge of his pillow, his mouth hanging slightly open towards her. His bottom half however was stretched toward her, his knees and calves entwined with her own. She smiled at the connection, leaning forward to wipe away the slight drool from the corner of his mouth with a fingertip. He was too adorable for his own good, hers too.

"Good morning Finny" she whispered, leaning over to place a sweet kiss to his forehead. She moved her lips gently all over the skin of his cheeks, his nose, and even his eyelashes until he finally started to move.

"Huh?"

"I said good morning babe. We should probably start getting ready" she continued, placing one final peck lips before swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm going to take a shower first, then it's yours, okay?"

"Uh, yeah...sure" he mumbled, now sitting up in the bed with the sheets bunched around his waist. His hair was sticking up in every which direction, and he had a slight red tint to the side of his face that had rested on the pillow.

"Great. You should go ahead and start packing your stuff back up. Will is probably going to come for us in the next forty five minutes or so, we don't wanna be that late couple and get talked about" she giggled, closing the door on him to go into the bathroom.

Had she really just said that?_ Couple_? She cringed slightly at the thought, well aware that he hadn't actually told her that he wanted to date her yet. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have said that. She said it jokingly enough though, right? Surely it was no big deal. Besides, just the night before he had showed monumental growth in her eyes, willing to wait on her, and even consciously cuddle together, something he said he'd never done before. It made her heart flutter to know that she was the first, and she hadn't forgotten either that Finn 'never went back for seconds'. She beamed to herself as she thought about all of the progress, his smile, the way he held her, their budding relationship. Her almost boyfriend.

* * *

"Everybody ready" Will asked, loading the last of the bags into the spacious back of the van. She immediately thought of she and Finn's banter from the night before. It didn't seem like such a silly idea anymore, part of her wanted to throw him back there herself and take advantage of _him. _It had taken insane will power to not give in to her physical desires last night, but she knew it was for the best.

Shaking her head of the inappropriate thoughts she reached out for his elbow, linking her arm through it as they waited to board the van. Rachel looked around at her fellow teammates, each of them with their eyes drooped low, slumped over slightly. Even Blaine wasn't his usual put together self, his hair not as shiny and in place as usual, his cheeks slightly flushed. Things must have taken a turn for the wild after they left last night. Her assumptions were proved when she turned around to see Puck approaching from the back, dark rims around his eyes but a huge smile on his face.

"Tennessee, is freaking awesome" he mumbled, stepping past them to climb into the van. She rolled her eyes at her barely sober friend, wondering how he even managed to get here himself. Maybe Tina helped, despite her disheveled appearance, she seemed to be the most sober. She turned her attention back to Finn though, eager to embark on the long ride and potential cuddle time ahead.

"Isn't this the part where you push me in and attack me" Rachel joked, giving his arm a squeeze.

"Ha" Finn laughed, gently removing his arm from her grip. He then held his hand out for her though, helping her to climb up into the van. Instead of climbing in after her as she'd hoped however, he moved out of the way to let Tina and Mike in, then climbed into the front passenger seat.

Rachel's face sunk as she watched him climb up into his seat, never looking back at her. Blaine climbed in beside her then, dropping his head over onto her shoulder.

"I'm dying" he moaned, dropping his head onto her shoulder. In spite of her anxious feelings toward Finn, she grinned at her friends tone.

"Let me guess, they got you drunk?"

"Never, ever, _ever_ trust Puckerman" he whispered, nodding his head. "Why are you so blurry? Does the sun seem brighter here than at home? I need to get home. Kurt's gonna be so pissed" he rambled, sliding down in his seat until his head rested in Rachel's lap. He turned his face into her side, guarding his eyes from the light of the sun. She giggled aloud at him, slapping a hand over her mouth when he groaned, mumbling about it being too loud.

"Does anybody have any aspirin, or anything" Rachel whispered aloud, looking up at Finn and Will.

"I already gave them all some, maybe it'll kick in soon" Tina answered from the back, holding an already passed out Mike against her shoulder. "Men" she continued, shaking her head slightly.

Rachel smiled back at her friend, hoping that she was right. Puck too now was stretched out in the seat behind her, curled up with the seat belts tangled around him, his lips wrapped around his thumb. Quickly pulling her phone out of her pocket, she snapped a few pictures.

"Finn, look" she giggled, holding the screen out to him. He turned his head, a wide smile stretching across his face when he took it in.

"Ha, classic" he chuckled before turning back to talk to Will.

She sighed, unsure how to feel about his shady behavior before Blaine started to snore from her lap. Rachel brought a hand down, softly patting his back as she laid her own head against the back of the seat. As much had changed over the course of this trip, she was on her way home with the same thought she had coming there: this was going to be a long ride.

* * *

Brittany and Santana were waiting in Brittany's car for her when they finally made it back to the school that night. She waved to them as she waited for her now much more sober friends to retrieve their things from the back. Finn stood in front of her, tormenting her with the way his muscles flexed as he lifted their things out, passing them to their respective owners.

"Here you go Rach" he said, pulling out her bag and setting it on the ground at her feet. "Even if I didn't already know it was yours, I could've guessed by how heavy it is. What did you pack midget, rocks?"

"I blame Kurt" she smiled, grabbing the handle. "So...it's good to be back home, huh" she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she stared up at him. It was odd, feeling like she should be able to reach up and kiss him, but feeling some sort of block between them.

"Yeah, Tennessee was fun though."

"It was. Do you, have any plans for the rest of your night" Rachel said, looking up at him through her lashes, hoping he would catch on to what she wanted.

"Not really. Go back to the apartment and get Puck's ass taken care of. Try to convince Kurt to come do laundry" he grinned, lifting his own bag out. He then lifted hers from the ground. "Where do you want it?"

Rachel smiled at the chivalrous act then waved goodbye to all of her teammates, giving Puck and Blaine quick hugs before leading him in the direction of Brittany's car. "You can always come hang out with me" she offered.

"I don't know if I'd have time, it's pretty late too."

"Oh, right of course. Well maybe tomorrow night" she asked hopefully, pausing to look up at him, hoping her puppy dog face would make him cave.

"I, um...I don't know...maybe, if I"m not, I mean if I don't have any work to do" he rambled, and just the way his hands started fidgeting with the bags she knew that he would be anxiously rubbing his neck if he could. She could see it, he was back in flight mode.

"Finn, stop it" she whispered, tugging on his arm. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't, don't give me that, not this time Finn. What happened to last night? What happened to the sweet guy who kissed me, and held me close, and told me that he would wait for me, huh?"

"I, Rachel. Look-" he started, peering around him to see if anyone was looking, avoiding eye contact with her.

"No Finn" she said, taking a step closer to look him directly in the eye. "Don't give me some bullcrap excuse this time, we're past that. Just talk to me" she pleaded, knocking the bags from his hands to clasp them in her own.

"I don't know what you want from me Rach" he cried, bringing his hands up to rub his temples, his eyes pinching shut. "This is all...so freaking weird to me, and I'm just really confused in my head right now."

"Confused about what? About your feelings? Because it certainly seemed like you knew what you wanted" she said, balling her hands up into fists at her sides. "Or was all of that a game? Were you just toying with me because I was there? Enjoying my company because I made you feel good" she whispered, hating herself for the words the second she saw the hurt cross his eyes.

"What? No Rachel, how could you even think that? You know I care about you, I've shared more of myself with you than I have any other girl, hell any other person really!"

"Then why Finn? Why are you running from me? Why can't you just let this happen" she urged, fighting the tears in her eyes.

"I...Rachel, you don't understand. I don't...I don't _do this" _he whispered, enunciating each word as if it was a foreign concept. I'm not lying to you when I say I'm confused. I'm really...scared" he breathed, looking down at the toes of his shoes.

"And you don't think that I am" she cried incredulously, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm terrified of this Finn. I feel for you, like I've never felt about anyone in my life. That night, in my dorm room, you broke my heart in a million pieces" she whispered, a traitor tear falling down her cheek. He finally looked down at her then, the sadness clear in his deep brown eyes. "After that, I was a mess. I was so scared, and so confused, but I pulled it together, and I never gave up on you. Do you know why? Because I love you Finn" she breathed, the weight lifting off of her shoulders to finally breathe the words. It felt like a confession, the best kind of therapy to finally get it all out of her system.

"You..._love_ me" he whispered, his eyes widening as the words passed through his lips.

"I loved you then, and even more so now. And that was before I even really knew you, knew how big a heart you had, how deep you were" she continued. "I know you're not a bad person Finn, I know that you've had your problems in the past, and trust me when I say I know how confusing and scary this is. But _we_ are worth it" she urged, reaching up to cup his face in her hands. "I know you care about me too Finn, you might even love me. So please, don't fight this. We can do it, together, I know we can. You just have to have some faith in us, in love" she pleaded for a final time, peering up at him.

"I don't know if I can...I don't know if I'm ready" he whispered, taking the hand holding his face in his own, squeezing it before bringing it down. "You've spent so much time caring for me, and I'm not even worth it."

"That's where you're wrong Finn" she said, taking a deep breath. She knew what she had to do, and it broke her heart, but there was no other way to make him see, to save herself. "You are worth it, but so am I. I love you Finn, and I probably always will, but I just can't do this anymore."

"Wha- what?"

"Let me know if you ever realize it" she whispered, leaning up on her tiptoes to press a gentle, lingering kiss to his cheek. "Maybe it won't be too late."

She would never forget the tortured expression on his perfect face, but with that Rachel turned on her heel, snatching her bag up from the ground and sprinting the rest of the way to the car. As soon as she shut the door behind her, the tear gates broke. She sobbed aloud, allowing the emotions to wrack through her as she curled against the back seat. Santana crawled over the console and into the back seat as Brittany started the car up and started to pull out of the dark parking lot. She wrapped her arms around Rachel's trembling form, pulling her close against her chest, wiping the hair out of her face.

"It's okay Rachel, it's going to be okay" she whispered, wiping away the tears as they fell. "Tell us everything."

* * *

It had been a week, the longest week of Rachel's life, since that night. Following Tana's orders, she cried all night long, sharing the whole story with her two friends over chocolate ice cream, sparkling grape juice, and Mamma Mia. To her pleasant surprise, Santana didn't judge her, or make fun of her in any way. She kind of wished she had shared with them earlier, their unfailing support felt so good, and they were really all she had now.

All week she had ignored everyone from The Playground, even Puck sometimes. She avoided the University Center itself like it was a plague, for fear of running into him. Finn had sent her a few funny text messages and pictures, and even called a few times, trying to get her to talk to him, it was going to take a hell of a lot more than a phone call, or clever text message for that though; her heart still ached. She still loved Finn, there was no denying that, but this time it was going to be him who did the work. He would come to her, he could do the fighting and planning. She had done her part.

She looked down at her phone, seeing that Puck was calling. He must have at least somewhat heard about what had happened, because the last few times she had talked to him he had been pleading Finn's case. She almost ignored the call, but at the last minute decided to answer.

"What do you want Noah, and don't say for me to talk to Finn."

"_Nice to talk to you too Rachel, yeah my day's going great" he said brightly, making her crack a grin. "I'm not calling to ask you to talk to Finn, I'm actually delivering a message from the team, you know, your friends. The ones you've neglected._"

"Continue" she sighed, rolling her eyes at the phone.

"Well, you know we had a lot of sponsors on campus, different frats and sororities, and organizations that were backing our trip. Since we did so good, and we're going to Nationals we're supposed to appear at some event in the U.C to thank all of them and shit."

"I had no idea. When is our appearance?"

"Thirty minutes. You would know that if you came to the meetings. Now get presentable" he scolded through the phone before hanging up.

Rachel jumped up, whirling around her room in a hurry. She had no idea who any of these people were they were appealing to, but she had to admit that she was thankful for them, what their team had accomplished really was no small feat. In the back of her mind she knew that Finn would be there too, sharing space with her for the first time in forever, but she would deal with that when the time came.

* * *

Walking into the U.C approximately thirty minutes later, dressed in the most casually elegant wardrobe she could pull together on such short notice, Rachel could clearly see the space set aside for the event. However, there was hardly anyone there besides a pale boy with a very large fro, two girls wearing matching sorority shirts, a very skinny boy who looked stoned, and a sharply dressed Finn, standing behind a mic stand.

He offered her a bright smile, instantly reaching up to straighten the grey tie around his neck. Her own face remained impassive as she turned away from him. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart started galloping the second she laid eyes on him, almost as if it were trying to get to him, but she wouldn't let him see that. She quietly scanned the room for her other friends. Finding none, besides Puck standing beside the P.A system with an apologetic smile, it hit her.

She had been played.

She turned around quickly with a roll of her eyes, intent on storming out of the U.C, when "Rachel, wait!" came through the speakers, catching both hers, and the attention of other stragglers in the large room.

He stepped down from the small stage, quickly making his way over to her. She placed her hands on her hips, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She could already tell this was going to be a battle from the pleading expression in his beautiful brown eyes.

"What is this Finn?"

"I need you to hear me out Rach" he said, clutching the microphone tightly in his hands. "You once told me, that you loved me, and that if I ever realized how I felt about you, to let you know. Well...I do" he said, holding the microphone out to the side as he stared at her, awaiting her response. She nodded stiffly, allowing him to continue. "You can probably tell by the way my hands are shaking, and the sweat on my forehead that I'm scared out of my mind right now, but I'm here...I'm not running. Will you stay, and listen?"

Rachel only nodded, the words failing her when the smile lifted his face, his eyes twinkling at her. She took a seat in the closest chair to her, eager to hear what he was going to say. She didn't expect for music to start playing though, making her heart completely stop for a second.

"I'd like to dedicate this song to Rachel Berry, the most amazing person I've ever met. I hope you can forgive me" he said, just as the song registered in her mind. The tears immediately sprung to her eyes when he opened his mouth, an angels voice coming through the speakers.

**_I'm so glad you made time to see me, how's life? _**

**_Tell me how's your family, I haven't seen them in a while._**

**_You've been good, busier than ever. Small talk, work and the weather._**

**_Your guard is up and I know why. Because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind._**

**_You gave me roses, and I left them there to die._**

**_So this is me swallowing my pride standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night._**

**_I go back to December all the time. It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you, wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine._**

**_I go back to December all the time._**

**_These days I haven't been sleeping, staying up playing back myself leaving. _**

**_When your birthday passed and I didn't call. _**

**_And I think about Summer all the beautiful times, I watched you laughing from the passenger side,_**

**_and realized I loved you in the Fall. And then the cold came, the dark days when fear crept into my mind. _**

**_You gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye._**

**_So this is me swallowing my pride standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night._**

**_I go back to December all the time. It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you, wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine._**

**_I go back to December, turn around and change my own mind._**

**_I go back to December all the time._**

**_I miss your tanned skin, your sweet smile, so good to me, so right._**

**_And how you held me in your arms that September night, the first time you ever saw me cry._**

**_Maybe this is wishful thinking. Probably mindless dreaming,_**

**_but if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right._**

**_I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't. So if the chain is on your door, I understand._**

**_But this is me swallowing my pride standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night..And I go back to December.  
_**

**_Turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you, wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine. I'd go back to December, turn around and make it alright. I'd go back to December turn around and change my own mind. I go back to December all the time. _**

By the last note, he was standing directly in front of her, his sad eyes boring into her tear filled ones. She didn't even care that there were tear tracks running down her cheeks, or that her face was probably swollen and red. She didn't even care about the large crowd that had gathered around over the course of the song, now applauding loudly.

Finn didn't seem to be aware either, they might as well have been alone. His eyes stayed glued to her, waiting for her reaction. She wiped the tears from her eyes, and took a deep breath when she was sure she could speak again.

"I don't...I'm not sure what to say Finn."

"I thought the song pretty much said it all" he said, his eyebrows scrunching together slightly before he shook his head. "I've had a lot of time, to just think about what my life's like without you, ya know? And I've been miserable. I miss your voice, and your eyes, and the way you get me. I miss spending time with you, and just talking to you about nothing" he confessed, taking her hands in his own. "I was talking with some of the guys about Nationals, and all I could think about was the fact that you might not be there with me, by my side where you belong. I want you, no I _need_ you to be with me Rachel. I want you to sit on the sidelines, smiling that beautiful smile, making everything okay again" he breathed, his eyes glazing over slightly. "And I want to go to your recital for class with flowers, and clap louder than anyone else there. I wanna go to every show you ever perform in, and anything else you do, because I want to be by your side too. That's where I belong."

Rachel stared quietly, her heart shattering and healing all at the same time as she took in his words. It was everything she had wanted to hear for so long.

"How do I know you're serious Finn? Your song was truly amazing, I'm so proud of you, and happy that you feel that way. But how do I know that you won't run away again? That when things get tough, or complicated that you won't get scared, or give up?"

"Take a chance on me Rach" he pleaded, squeezing her hands in his grip gently. "I know, taking so long to realize what was right in front of me was shitty, and I don't deserve it by any means, but I'm asking you too. You had faith in us once, in me, do you think you can again" he breathed, cupping her face in his large hands, tilting it up to peer down into her eyes longingly. "I know I messed things up, but I'd do anything for one more chance."

"Well" she started, unable to fight the genuineness in his gaze, in his entire demeanor. His dazzling smile graced his face, bringing a matching one to her own. She brought a hand up to cover his, leaning into his palm and reveling in the contact as she spoke again. "I suppose you could start...by taking me on a proper date."

_**Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed! And NO this is not the last chapter, don't worry!  
**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, or any of the movies/lyrics included in this story.**_

"_**I have died every day waiting for you. Darling don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years; I'd love you for a thousand more. And all along I believed I would find you. Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years, I'd love you for a thousand more."**_

_**-from 'A Thousand Years'**_

_**I apologize for the short chapter. Pure Fluff ahead. **_

"Achoo!"

Rachel wiped her raw, probably red nose with the tissue, and then tossed it into the trash can beside her bed. It was just her luck that she would be sick on the day that she and Finn were finally supposed to have their first date.

Finn and Rachel had decided together to wait until they came back to school to have their date, using the time apart to test the relationship, and just talk. In turn, Christmas break had been like a dream. She went home to spend the much needed time with her fathers and friends, while he stayed back with his own family. In spite of the distance between them, they maintained their steady communication as she'd hoped; calling back and forth, and even falling asleep on Skype together a few times. He really was showing her a side to him that she had yet to see, a sweet, open side that she was quickly falling in love with.

Unfortunately, along with all of the love and gifts Rachel had received from her family at home, she also managed to pick up the 'slight cold' that her Papa was recovering from. She had spent the entire day that she had been back on campus in bed with a box of tissues, a mug of tea, and a thermometer. Though her temperature wasn't terribly high, after checking it every thirty minutes to find that it wasn't budging, she finally accepted that she would have to cancel. It was for the best, even though she hated to admit it. She hadn't looked in the mirror but she was pretty sure, that a red nosed, dry eyed, crazed haired her wasn't exactly appropriate for their first date. Rachel pulled her phone off of the nightstand grudgingly composing the text message.

**I'm so sorry Finn, but I'm not going to be able to go out tonight. I'm sick…Raincheck?**

Rolling her eyes, she dropped her head back into the pillows, awaiting his response. The movement didn't exactly help matters, as the drop only resulted in giving her a slight headache. She moaned aloud somewhat dramatically, wishing that Brittany were around to fetch her some medicine. She sighed as she felt her phone buzz against her belly, then opened the message.

_**Okay :( **_

Rachel frowned down at the message, cursing her weak immune system. She laid the phone back in its place on her nightstand, and rolled over into her sheets, dreaming of what their first date would be like when it finally happened.

* * *

_Knock! Knock!_

It had only been about an hour since Rachel had attempted a nap, her stuffy nose and cough preventing her from succeeding. Slightly confused, but happy with the distraction she pulled herself out of the bed, snatching up the handkerchief from her drawer to serve as a block between her germs and her visitor; it was probably just Brittany though.

"Brit, did you forget your keys again?" she called to the door, opening it wide and freezing when she saw Finn. He had on her favorite gray t-shirt under a black jacket, and soft denim jeans. He looked like a model, whereas she looked like some sort of creature in her mismatched pajamas, untamed hair, and red face.

"Whoa" he said lowly, his eyes widening slightly as he took her in before he smirked. "You look hot."

"Finn, you shouldn't be here, you might get sick" she scolded, eying the large bag in his hand.

"I made you a promise, and I'm here to keep it" he declared, walking past her and into the room. "You said you couldn't go out, so I'm bringing the date to you."

She smiled at his words, fighting to keep the cough brewing in the back of her throat at bay. "That's very sweet Finn, but you didn't have to do this. I'm sick, I could get you sick" she said, pulling the handkerchief around her nose and mouth, and attempting to tie it in place. "And I look horrible."

"Don't do that. You look beautiful...like always" he responded quietly, reaching out to untie and pull the handkerchief down. As soon as he had successfully removed the garment, the deep cough made its way out of her throat loudly. "On second thought" he said, scrunching his nose up playfully, replacing the handkerchief over her entire face.

"Ugh" she rolled her eyes, snatching the fabric down and swatting him with it. "You're terrible."

"You'll be singing a different tune when you see the goodies I brought you" he said smugly, drawing a big smile out of her as he held the over sized bag out enticingly.

"Ooh Gimme" she squealed hoarsely, reaching out for the mystery bag.

"Uh-uh, you sit" he instructed, pointing to her bed.

Following his instructions, she walked over and climbed up onto the tall bed, placing her hands in her lap as she waited. She smiled sweetly at him and dangled her feet over the side of the bed, amazed at how much better she felt already. She watched fondly as Finn set the bag on her desk and started to pull out its contents.

"My mom made you some soup. It used to always make me feel better when I was sick and these too" he stated, pulling out a six pack of coca cola's in glass bottles. "They were like, a magic combination or something."

"Thank you Finn" she smiled, as he brought the bowl, a spoon, and a chilled bottle to her. "And please, tell your mother I said thank you as well, this was really too kind of her."

"She wanted to do it…She really likes you, they all do" he mumbled, shoving his hands down into his pockets. "You have no idea how hard Kurt fought to plan this date for us when he found out. I'm pretty sure he would've liked to have chaperoned, or take pictures or something."

"I wouldn't have put it past him" she grinned. Now that she knew Kurt, she had no problem believing he wouldn't do either of those things, and probably drag Blaine along.

"Me either. I had no idea how much it would mean to them, for me to start dating" he started, shaking his head. "My mom didn't seem all that surprised though, she said it was only a matter of time with you" he smiled, making her cheeks redden and not from the sick. "But, I wanted to plan this myself you know, prove that I could get it right" he said, nodding his head. He was now wringing his hands together, rocking back and forth on his heels. It was obvious he was nervous, and she knew it probably wrong of her to think so, but it was adorable.

"So what did you come up with" she questioned, raising a delicate eyebrow at him.

"Well, we're always doing things that I like to do, or that I'm good at" he explained, walking back over to his goody bag. "So I figured, maybe we should do something that you really enjoy. Your recital was pretty kick ass, and you really looked like you were in your element there, so I got us tickets to the Little Regional Theater. They're putting on Phantom of the Opera."

"Oh my God, Finn that would have been perfect" she squealed, the surprised smile stretching across her face. He really had put a lot into this. A few months ago she couldn't have dreamed of getting him to go to a musical, much less for him to plan it himself.

"I was hoping for that reaction. But, since you can't get out, I went and rented it from the library" he continued, pulling the DVD out of his bag. "I know it's not the same, but it's the thought that counts right? And then" he went on, pulling another stack of DVD's out behind that one, "I didn't know if you'd still want to go watch that play when you got well, so I rented some other choices too. You can pick." Finn walked over to lay the stack of movies in her lap, the titles ranging from Sound of Music, to Rock of Ages, to Rent. "Kurt gave me some recommendations" he said, predicting her question even before she could ask it.

"This is quite the collection" she said, more than impressed with his dedication. "But which one would you like to watch?"

"Doesn't matter, whatever you choose is fine with me" he said with a smile, pulling the chair up to place beside her bed while she ate.

"But if you had to choose" she pushed, taking another delicious spoonful of the soup.

"I don't know, I'm not really familiar with any of them."

"Hmmm" she thought, squinting her eyes as she studied him. He was sweet enough to do all of this for her, she wanted to make sure that he would enjoy it as well. Using what she knew about his taste so far, she finally decided. "I think we'll go with Rock of Ages, I have a feeling you'll like this one" she said thoughtfully, handing the movie to him to place in the DVD player.

She waited patiently while he fiddled with her system, then walked to his bag yet again. "Have you taken any medicine Rach?"

"Umm...herbal tea and a multivitamin."

His answering frown made her sink down slightly as he pulled out a new bottle. "Good thing I brought these then" he said brightly, popping open the multi-symptom cold medicine and handing her the small pills. She wordlessly took them, washing them down with the cold coca cola that was actually seeming to make her feel better. Or maybe it was just Finn.

"Thank you, again" she smiled up at him, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"No problem. The quicker you get better, the quicker we can cuddle again" he said with a small smile, reaching out to tickle her side.

"What do you know, I feel like a million bucks already" she chirped, placing the lid back on the bowl and handing it to him. Once he'd placed it along with the spoon on her desk and returned, she patted the space beside her in invitation. "Cuddling please."

Finn kicked off his shoes, and hopped up onto the bed beside her. She should have felt guilty about exposing him to her germs, but she just wanted to be close to him, and apparently he wasn't afraid. She sighed in contentment as he stretched his arm around her, scooting down so that she could comfortably rest with her head against his chest. When they were finally settled he pressed play on her remote, and the music began to play.

* * *

"What did you think? Be honest" Rachel asked once the last credit had rolled.

"That was actually really good" Finn said, pressing stop on the remote control.

"I thought so, you were singing along with like every song" she grinned, more than happy that he had actually enjoyed the experience.

"I know, I didn't even know I knew all of those songs."

"I figured you would like that kind of music" she said with a cocky smile. "You seem like the classic rock type."

"Yeah, I guess I am" Finn answered.

"What's your favorite song?"

"From the movie" he asked.

"No, just in general" Rachel said, cuddling closer into his side, thrilled when his arm tightened around her.

"Umm, I don't know? Maybe...'Still haven't found what I'm looking for'? Though I'm not so sure about that now" he said softly, his cheeks pinking as he glanced down at her then looked straight ahead. Her own cheeks hurt from her answering smile before he finally looked back into her eyes. "I'm going to be completely honest with you from now on, no matter how hard it is. I want us to be open with one another."

She smiled widely at his new goal, and the steps that they were taking in their relationship. She was definitely more than eager to quiz him, there were answers she was dying to know, but she'd start small. "What's your favorite food?"

"Pizza" he answered automatically, of course she knew that.

"Favorite candy?"

"Sour patch kids."

"South Park, or Family Guy?"

"Family Guy" he answered with a grin, using his Peter Griffin voice and making her roll her eyes. That was a perfect in to her next question, he better get this right.

"Kevin Hart or Katt Williams" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him playfully.

"Kevin Hart, definitely" he grinned, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, alright, alright" she recited in her best Kevin Hart voice, giggling madly when Finn joined in. "Boxers, or briefs?"

"Boxers" he smirked. "You're probably familiar with that though."

Rachel blushed slightly, but continued on. "Do you like my hair up" she asked, piling her hair on top of her head, "or down" she released it, letting it flow down her shoulders.

"Either way is perfect, usually. You know, when it doesn't look like a bush springing out of your head like today" he joked, taking her slap to the chest like a man. "It's cool though, I've seen you look like a raccoon and still liked you."

Rachel rolled her eyes, but finally caved at his hearty laugh. In spite of his words though, his eyes were shining at her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. "What did you think when you first saw me?"

"Nice ass."

"_Finn_" she whined, narrowing her eyes at him and nudging his side.

There was a slight pause after his chuckle, and he looked down at their feet taking a deep breath before finally responding. "I hadn't even walked into the Playground when I saw you through the door window. You had on a white collared short sleeved shirt, a little black skirt with a belt, flat shoes, and the shiniest, most beautiful brown eyes I'd ever seen. Your hair was down, and curled at the ends" he smiled. "I couldn't remember what I was going in to do, or to talk about, all I knew was that I had to get to you; it was like some sort of weird trance" he recalled, a far away look in his deep eyes. "Then...I saw the guy with you, holding onto you smiling, and I snapped out of it. You were taken, and honestly, it was_ really_ freaking scary how quick and how strongly I was drawn to you. After that, I made a point of keeping you at arms length, making you just one of the boys. I figured that would be the easiest thing, convincing myself that's all you were."

Her heart seemed to double in size as she stared at him, absorbing his words. It felt like only yesterday that she had met Finn, 'the most beautiful boy she had ever seen'. She remembered all of the feelings, so intense even then, the trance that he'd mentioned, she felt it too. Looking back then, to where they had come now really seemed like such a long journey, an incredible one.

"You had me convinced too for a while...especially after, well, that night..." she whispered, looking up and into his eyes bravely. The hurt wasn't as raw as it had been. She found that she could talk about it now that she understood so much better. She still needed to hear it though.

"I'm so sorry Rachel, I was so stupid then" he sighed, wiping a hand down his face.

"Why did you leave Finn?"

"I've been with a lot of girls in my past" he started, his eyes dropping down slightly, "but never in my life had I felt anything like what I felt that night in here with you. I spent so much time blocking girls out, keeping a wall up between me and them, that when you slipped in, I kind of..freaked out I guess. I didn't know what I was feeling, or how to deal with it, so I just kind of bolted. I took the easy way out and decided not to deal with it at all, pretend like it didn't happen" he confessed, the guilt written clear across his face.

"But you know how you feel now" she finished, reaching out to entwine his hand with hers.

"I do" he answered, his eyes boring down into hers, offering her a silent promise.

"Have you been with anyone else...like that...since me" she questioned, looking down to toy with the sheets on her bed. She had wondered as much since it happened, it actually kept her up some nights, but she never asked. She was always afraid of the answer.

"No. I didn't see how anyone could compare to you after that" he whispered back before dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "I still don't."

"Good...because I hate sharing" she grinned, wrapping both arms around him to squeeze his torso in a hug. It felt like she was floating on air when both his arms came to wrap around her as well, holding her against his firm chest. She had everything she wanted.

"So...batman or superman?"

"Really? We go from that, to this" he chuckled, dropping yet another kiss to the top of her head as she nodded. "Batman."

"What are my chances of getting you to stay and watch another movie" she tried, pulling back to bat her eyelashes at him.

Finn smiled then swung his legs over the side of the bed, hopping down. "There's always tomorrow Rach. I should probably get going now though, we both have classes tomorrow."

"I'll walk you to the door" she offered, taking his hand and sliding down after him. She purposefully took slow steps, dreading the moment that the eye-opening night would officially end. "I really had fun" Rachel said, when he turned to face her at the door.

"I did too, even though things didn't go exactly as planned."

"I didn't mind, it was a lovely first date if you ask me" she grinned back, clapping her hands together as he bowed dramatically. "Only one more thing would make it perfect" she said with a smirk, exaggeratedly puckering her lips.

"What do you take me for? I don't kiss on the first date, I'm a lady" he said, raising his chin and looking down his nose at her.

"I think I could argue that one, you have different parts" she giggled, scrunching her nose up at him.

"You like my parts" he teased back with a wink.

"I am extra fond of certain ones" she allowed, rubbing her chin. "Mostly those dimples...and your ass" she finished with a devilish grin.

"Rachel Berry, are you objectifying me" he gasped, laying a hand over his heart.

"You love it" she laughed, pushing his chest lightly.

"I do. That's one of the boyfriend duties too, being objectified by the girl and liking it, right?"

"Boyfriend" she repeated, her eyes widening slightly.

"Well...yeah. I'm your boyfriend" he said slowly, testing the words out. Her heart soared when the bright smile graced his face and he looked to her expectantly. "If you want me to be, I mean. I'm not really sure how this thing works..."

"I'll think about it" she winked, "but just to let you know...I really like the sound of that."

"You know what, I do too" he said, the bright smile glued to his handsome face. "Goodnight Rachel, I hope you feel better" he continued, tucking her wild hair behind her ear before he backed out of the doorway.

"I"m sure I will. Goodnight Finn" she answered, closing the door behind him. About two seconds later there was a knock, and she swung the door back open.

"Changed my mind" he breathed, cupping her face in his hands and dipping down to finally kiss her. His lips moved against hers gently, tenderly, making her skin tingle in the best way. "Now I can tell you goodnight" he whispered, his eyes twinkling when he finally released a now slightly dizzy Rachel. He placed one more gentle kiss to her forehead, then turned around, disappearing down the hall humming.

_**Thanks for reading! I hope you are all still enjoying!**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, or any of the lyrics included in this story.**_

_**Thank you all so so so much for all of your support on this story, I can't even put into words how much it has meant to me. It's been an incredible journey writing, and I truly hope that you enjoy this second to last chapter. **_

_**"When you look me in the eyes and tell me that you love me, everything's alright, when you're right here by my side. When you look me in the eyes, I catch a glimpse of heaven. I find my paradise, when you look me in the eyes."**_

_**-from 'When You Look Me in the Eyes' **_

Rachel walked into her last class of the day with her head held high. She had missed her first day of classes after being sick, but she probably hadn't missed much. Silently she made her way to the first row of seats, about to sit herself beside who she recognized as the frail, large haired boy with glasses from the U.C the day that Finn had sang to her. Before she could sit down however, a hand appeared down on the table before her, halting her movements.

"Hey girl" the strikingly gorgeous blonde girl smiled, hooking her elbow through Rachel's. "I'm sitting back here" she continued, shaking her head as if it should have been common knowledge for Rachel.

Taken aback by the girls forwardness, she only blinked as she was pulled back towards the second row with the girl. She noted the way the girl limped slightly, allowing Rachel to step in first and taking the edge seat. As Rachel sat down, she subtly observed the beautiful girl, trying to determine if she was just overly friendly, confusing Rachel for someone else, or if she would be more likely to enjoy Santana and Brittany's company.

"Sorry about that. I swear I'm not some creep, I just thought I should save you from _that_" the girl said, curling her nose up in distaste as she nodded towards the frail boy in the front row, now spun around completely in his seat to shamelessly ogle the two of them. "I didn't have anyone to warn me the first day. I spent the entire class period feeling him breathing down my shoulder, whispering cheesy pick up lines like 'people call me Jacob, but you can call me tonight' and 'if you were a booger I'd pick you first'" the girl cringed, making Rachel laugh. "Lines like that never worked for me before, but that just really ruined it for me."

"Wow, it was that bad?"

"Oh you have no idea. When he told me that if a fat man put me into a bag that night it was because he asked Santa for me for Christmas, I flashed him the pepper spray" the girl laughed, dangling her keys and the pepper spray hanging from them at the boy who was running a hand back through his fro, immediately getting his fingers stuck. Both girls burst into mostly silent giggles as he finally turned the right way in his seat, leaving the two of them be.

"I suppose I should be thanking you...?"

"Quinn Fabray" she smiled, extending a perfectly manicured hand to her.

"Nice to meet you Quinn, I'm Rachel Berry" she smiled, shaking hands with the model-like girl. She couldn't help but think as she stared at this girl, that she was exactly the type of girl that had Puck foaming at the mouth. She ran back through some of the girls she had seen him following on campus, at parties, or walking by the Playground windows. She was fairly certain she had never seen this particular blonde before though, at all.

"Nice to meet you, you're actually the first person I've met outside of the Celibacy club" Quinn commented, holding a finger to her chin.

"The Celibacy Club?"

"Yes, I'm actually the Vice President" she announced proudly. "I consider it quite the accomplishment actually, considering this is my first semester here."

"Really" Rachel asked, shooting an annoyed look at the boy in front of them, now using a small compact mirror to spy on them behind him.

"I was involved in a car accident over the summer, I was in a wheelchair for a while, that kind of stinted the whole college process" Quinn explained, with a small smile.

"Oh I'm so sorry! I'm glad everything turned out okay though" Rachel gasped, the girls slight limp now making much more sense.

"Thank you, and trust me I am too. It turned out to be an incredibly humbling experience though. And now here I am, stronger than ever" she beamed, "and determined. We're actually working on getting the Celibacy Club off the ground right now, if you or anyone you know would like to join, we have meetings once a week on Wednesdays" the girl ranted, rifling through her notebook to hand Rachel a flyer.

Looking down at the flyer, covered in crosses and 'just say no' slogans, Rachel smiled. She knew that she nor Finn were likely to be joining a Celibacy Club, she was quite hoping for the opposite actually. Things had just been getting better and better since their 'first date'. They'd spent nights on the phone, or in her dorm for hours just getting to know one another, and building the relationship. It would only be a matter of time before they reacquainted themselves physically, at least she hoped. However, she could think of one person it would be a lot of fun to subject to the idea. With a wicked grin Rachel tucked the flyer into her own notebook, offering Quinn a bright smile.

"Do you have plans for after class?"

"I don't. Why?"

"I have some people I'd like you to meet" Rachel grinned. "I know of one for sure that would just love to discuss the Celibacy Club with you."

* * *

Rachel walked into the U.C with Quinn right by her side, filling her in on what the Playground was, and the names of the people she was going to introduce her too. Ironically, she had a class with both Tina and Blaine. They stopped when they reached the bathrooms, Rachel waiting outside while Quinn went in. She stood against the wall, arms folded over her chest as she observed the U.C. There were so many different groups of people there; the gamers, the card players, the music kids playing around the piano, the studious ones doing homework, Finn and a group of pretty girls, wait...what?

She did a double take, narrowing her eyes as she watched the two pretty brunettes on either side of Finn. Rachel spotted a few of his brothers, and some more girls' behind him, talking as well, but the only thing she could focus on was the tramp to his right, and her hand on his elbow. Rachel took deep breaths as she observed the scene before her, waiting to see how things would unfold rather than storming over and snatching him out of their grasp.

Both of the girls were very pretty, much prettier than her even. It was never uncommon to see Finn with females, especially ones like that, dressed in overly tight clothing, smiling up at him, laughing at something he had said. It stung more now though, knowing that things were different, or they were supposed to be anyway. It wasn't that she didn't trust Finn, he had given her no reason to not trust him, this was just the first time since they had chosen to make things official that she had seen him in that sort of company. Curious, she continued to stare from across the walkway, silently deciding that if things went bad she would snatch the fire extinguisher off of the wall and have at them all, Finn first.

Finn chose that moment to look up at her, his beautiful brown eyes locking on hers, melting her anxious thoughts away with his glowing smile. Without a word, or even a glance to either girl at his side Finn started towards her, the smile lighting up the walkway as he approached her.

"Hey beautiful" he greeted, taking her hand in his large one, entwining their fingers together.

"Hey, I'm not keeping you from anything am I" she questioned as nonchalantly as possible, nodding her head in the direction he'd just come from.

"Nah, some of the brothers and our sisters were passing out flyers for our fund raiser this weekend, I was just stopping by to see how things were going. What were you doing?"

"About to take my new friend Quinn to the Playground, she's the VP of the Celibacy Club" Rachel explained, squeezing Finn's hand.

"Oh. Um, that's cool I guess. But...why are you bringing her to the Playground" he asked, his brows pulling together.

"I want to introduce her to Puck" she shrugged.

"Why?"

Before she could answer Quinn walked out of the bathroom, smiling over at the pair of them.

"That's why" Rachel grinned up at Finn. Part of her had been afraid that he too would drop his jaw at Quinn's beauty and again make her feel self conscious, however instead he only chucked, offering Quinn a friendly wave before leaning down to Rachel's ear.

"You're so bad...this is going to be so funny though."

"Quinn, this is my boyfriend Finn. Finn, meet Quinn" Rachel announced, waving her hand between the two of them as she introduced them.

"Is this who you wanted me to talk about the club with?"

"No, you'll meet him soon" Rachel grinned, leading the two of them towards the Playground.

When they approached the table Finn had been at, she felt him stiffen slightly beside her. Confused she looked up as he released her hand to wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. It finally dawned on her why he was being so possessive when she noticed Josh in the group, his eyes wide with what looked like disappointment as he stared at the pair of them. She giggled into Finn's side as they passed, reaching back to stick her hand into Finn's back pocket.

"Have I ever told you how much I hated your Josh phase" he whispered down to her, squeezing her side.

"I don't think you have."

"I freaking hated it. I wanted to pick you up and kiss you in front of him just then, let him know you're mine since I couldn't before."

"Jealousy is beneath you Finn" Rachel chided, knowing full well that not only did she find his jealousy very flattering, but that she herself had just been insanely jealous of the brunette tramps by his side mere minutes before.

"Oh right. I guess you're going to tell me next that you weren't jealous back there" Finn smirked, holding the door open for the two girls as the music from the stereo system wafted out at them.

"I've no clue what you're talking about" Rachel answered airily, dusting at imaginary particles on her skirt.

"Suuuuure" Finn taunted, nudging her in the side. "You shouldn't have been though. You're the only one I want" he said simply.

Rachel only smiled up at him as Quinn floated through the room, officially meeting Tina, and introducing herself to Mike. Only a few minutes later the doors opened, and Rachel beamed when she heard his voice.

"What's up suck-" he trailed off, his eyes going wide when they landed on Quinn. She was even more thrilled when she turned to find the blonde with her mouth slightly open, her green eyes dancing as she stared back at him.

"Noah! I'm so glad you showed up, I have someone I'd like you to meet" Rachel grinned, wrapping her hand around his elbow and leading him over to her. "This is Quinn. Quinn, I'd like you to meet my dear friend Noah."

Puck brought her extended hand to his mouth, smirking at her as he gently pressed his lips to the back of it. "I've never seen an angel in real life before. Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

Very aware of how Quinn had said she felt about cheesy pick up lines, Rachel watched amazed as the blonde girl giggled, quickly placing a dainty hand to her mouth, the other remaining in his own hand.

"Maybe I didn't fall, angels are supposed to have wings you know."

"I'd_ love_ to see those" he grinned, raking his eyes over the girls frame as she finally pulled her hand out of his grasp.

"Maybe you can, or even get your own if you join my club" she challenged, opening her notebook again, probably to fetch him a flyer.

"Anything for you sweetheart" he sighed, his eyes never leaving her face until she produced the small folded paper. Rachel watched, amused as his face fell reading the flyer. "Or maybe I could just drink a red bull" he groaned under his breath, shaking his head.

"What was that" Quinn asked, leaning toward him, placing a hand on is elbow.

"Uhh, I meant..." he stuttered, staring down into the pretty blonde's wide eyes. Rachel could literally see his resolve crumbling, her jaw dropping when he opened his mouth again. "Uh, why don't we sit down and you can tell me more about it?"

Finn choked out a laugh, doubling over. Annoyed with his not so subtle reaction, Rachel leaned over, slapping his back a little harder than she should have as she 'helped him'. "Are you okay babe, I'd hate to see you get choked" she said pointedly, her annoyance waning when Finn pouted at her. "Don't laugh at him, this is huge" she whispered, pulling him upright.

"First, you're abusive. Second, he deserves it, he threw me under the bus first" Finn said lowly, narrowing his eyes at her. Ever since she had told Finn how big a help Puck had been to her, the role he had played in her life when things went to shit between the two of them, he'd been playfully holding it over both of their heads.

"And look how you turned out, perfectly happy...right" she asked, narrowing her eyes to an almost squint at him, pointing her finger into his face. He chucked as he took the finger, placing a kiss to the pad before releasing it.

"More than happy" he smiled. "But he's been giving me shit since I signed up for this choir class, so I deserve to have something on him" Finn continued.

"You just have to ignore him babe, you know he only does it to get a rise out of you" she said, rubbing his forearm. "You know what I say, you should do what makes you happy, what you love."

"Hmm...well right now I want to do this" he grinned, lifting her arm and spinning her before pulling her into his embrace. He danced her around the bay area until they were in the larger open space on the other side, separated from their friends before leaning down to her ear. "This is our song."

Rachel sighed in bliss as she reached up to weave her arms around his neck, allowing him to slow dance with her. She could feel the stares through the windows at Wings and Things, and even from Tina and the others, but she didn't care. This was Finn, new and spontaneously romantic, and there was no way she was turning him down. She closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest, feeling his breathing change as he started to sing quietly.

_**I've never had no one that I could count on. I been let down so many times.**_

_**I was tired of hurting, so tired of searching, until you walked in to my life.**_

_**It was a feeling, I'd never known. And for the first time, I didn't feel alone. **_

_**You're more than a lover. There could never be another to make me feel the way you do.**_

_**And oh we just get closer, I fall in love all over every time I look at you.**_

_**I don't know where I'd be without you here with me.**_

_**Life with you makes perfect sense.**_

_**You're my best friend.**_

Rachel pulled back from his embrace, the tears starting to well up in her eyes as she stared up at him. "Is that how you feel...really" she whispered as he cupped her cheek in his hand, the pink rising to his own cheeks slightly.

Finn nodded as he looked down into her eyes, bending down to press his lips gently to hers. "I love you."

Rachel was sure her face cracked completely in half as the smile stretched across it. She closed the distance between them again, melding her lips to his in a passionate kiss until she finally had to pull back for air. She beamed as her lungs refilled, linking her fingers through his.

"I love you too Finn."

* * *

About ten minutes later Rachel pulled Finn into her dorm bedroom, firmly attached to him by the mouth. She pulled him over to the bed, allowing him to lift her and place her down on the mattress before kicking off his shoes and joining her. Finn laid down beside Rachel, cradling her face in his hands as he continued to kiss her, pouring more passion into her than she even knew was possible.

Slightly impatient, Rachel pushed back on his chest enough to grasp the hem of his t-shirt and pull it over his head. Once the garment was tossed on the floor, she reached for her own until Finn stopped her hand.

"Rachel wait. Are you sure you want to do this now? Last time we got this close, you said you wanted to wait" he asked, the desire evident in his eyes in spite of his questioning words.

"Completely sure. I didn't know where we stood then, but now I do...and I love you" she smiled, placing a sweet kiss to his lips. The smile only grew when she felt him relax into her kiss, his mouth opening under the insistence of her lips. When she detached herself from his mouth again, Rachel succeeded in pulling off her own shirt, sending her bra flying with it. She smiled as his eyes latched themselves onto her bare breasts, his hands automatically coming up to re-familiarize himself with them. They remained attached to her chest until she started to work on the button of Finn's jeans, one hand coming down to grasp both of hers, placing them over her head on the bed.

"Slow down baby...I want to do this right this time" he breathed, placing a kiss to each of her wrists.

Rachel's breath caught in her throat at the tender action and name, even more so when he kissed his way up one arm, to her shoulder, on over to her neck. She was panting by the time he reached her lips again, goosebumps left behind on every inch of skin he had touched. The intensity of his passion completely overtook her as his mouth moved against hers, making her sigh into his mouth.

She was so dazed, she wasn't sure how, or even when her bottoms had disappeared, or his own. All she knew, all she _felt_ was his bare skin against hers. She was surrounded with Finn as she laid beneath him, her eyes closed in bliss as he pressed kisses all over, his hands roaming over every inch of skin they could reach as he claimed her as his own.

She faintly heard the sound of a condom being ripped open and her body tensed up in anticipation. Finn felt it too, and he brought one of her hands to his lips as he rolled it onto himself with the other. Once in place, Finn hovered over her, his bare chest only inches from hers as he looked down into her eyes. Rachel's hands came up to grip his shoulders, her legs locking around his waist, as she stared back.

"I love you so much" he whispered, pressing his lips to hers as he finally pushed into her.

"_Ohh God_" she moaned, clutching him to her tighter, his chest meeting hers as he filled her. Rachel's head flew back into the pillows when his hips pulled back, only to push forward again slowly. His strokes were deep and long, pouring everything that he felt into his movements.

Finn's lips met hers in a searing kiss as he continued to make love to her, wrapping both arms around her writhing frame. He held her as close as could be allowed as he gave her all that he had both physically and emotionally.

She wasn't sure how long they remained tangled together in her sheets, but soon she felt that tightening in her body again, her heart speeding up as she started to tremble beneath him. Completely in sync with her body, Finn's kiss became more insistent, his movements even more pronounced as he pumped into her stronger.

Rachel thrashed, her nails digging into his back as she finally released, a loud moan escaping her lips. Just a beat behind her she felt Finn jerk as well, groaning into her collarbone as he joined her in ecstasy.

Finn rolled over off of her as not to crush her, then pulled her against his now slightly sweaty chest. She couldn't be grossed out by it though. Even if she weren't in a total Finn daze, she would be too excited that he was holding her and not up trying to get dressed. She didn't get to bask in the glory for long though before nature called for her. Rachel placed three quick pecks to Finn's lips before dragging herself out of the bed to go to the bathroom, leaving him to dispose of the condom.

She didn't feel the least bit of fear before she emerged, and smiled when she found him stretched out in her sheets, arms open towards her. She grinned widely, climbing up and snuggling beside him. His large, muscular arms wrapped around her as she laid her face on his chest. It was such a far cry from the last time in so many ways. She sighed as her arms tightened around him, not ready to lose this sense of closeness any time soon, ever.

"We're really doing this aren't we" she whispered, tilting her head up to look into his eyes. "This is real."

"Yeah it is" he smiled, dropping a kiss to her forehead.

"Do you think it'll last" Rachel asked quietly, pulling herself up and propping herself on his chest.

"I hope so" he breathed, drawing random patterns on the bare skin of her back. "I know I don't want it to end. But, I guess only time will tell, right?"

"I guess you're right" Rachel answered, reaching up to place a kiss to his lips.

"I don't think we'll really have to worry about that though."

"Care to share why?"

"Well" he started, running his fingers through her hair, a smile playing on the corners of his mouth. "Between your Jedi mind tricks, and my mad skills and charming personality, I'd say we're stuck with each other."

"You may have a point. Looks like we're doomed" she giggled, tickling his sides. Finn mock gasped as he tickled her back, making her squeal. They rolled around on Rachel's small bed, somehow managing to not fall off as they got tangled in one another again.

_**Thank you for the read! I have to tell you that this will indeed be the last chapter, apart from the epilogue (which I should be posting in the next few days). For those of you who wanted more insight into the relationship, I do apologize, but this is the way I envisioned the storyline and that's how I chose to write it. I truly do hope you've enjoyed it though, and I thank you so so much for your support! **_

_**Epilogue coming soon!**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the lyrics, brands, popular names used in this story.**_

"_**You said those three words, I been waiting for, you became a part of me.**_ _**You're mine for life, and I'll be by your side, we are entwined. You're mine for life, hold me until we die. I'm yours and you are mine." **_

_**-from 'You're Mine'**_

_**Epilogue**_

_**3 years later**_

"Rachel Barbara Berry."

Rachel shot forward from her place in the front of the line, a beaming smile glued to her face as she strutted across the stage in her new ridiculous high heels. They were gorgeous of course, and perfectly showed off the new gold star tattoo on her foot, but they were high enough to give her a nose bleed. Only Kurt would pick out heels like that to force her to wear on her graduation day, when her walk was one of the most important things. Luckily, she had been wearing them around at home the few days they were in her custody, preparing herself.

She fought to hide her frown when Kurt crossed her mind, her thoughts immediately flitting to his brother. Though she kept the smile in place as she accepted the diploma from the kind red-haired woman, she couldn't help but scan the audience once again for Finn's handsome face. The disappointment didn't quite pierce her heart, she knew beforehand that he wasn't going to be able to make it.

Finn's interview for the assistant football coach position at the local high school had unfortunately fallen on the day and time of her graduation. He had been working as a personal trainer at the nicest gym in town since his graduation last year, and made good money doing so; so she was slightly surprised when he started looking into other possible jobs as well. Though she was excited for him possibly heading over to the high school, she couldn't deny that her enthusiasm had been just a little forced. She wasn't quite sure if he had picked up on that though.

Rachel was graduating with a Theater degree, and she wanted to use it somewhere she could flourish. The idea of being tied down to Ohio seemed like the opposite of helping to spur her career along. Finn possibly working for the high school seemed like just another weed grabbing a hold of them and keeping them here. Not that she had a problem with commitment, and Ohio really was a great place, she just wanted to see more of the world, be completely sure of where she settled down. She had stalked New York, California, Chicago and all of the other big cities on Google Earth enough of times to know that she was mesmerized by the rest of the world. Finn knew it as well seeing as he stayed up many a night with her looking at the cities and what they had to offer, playfully making plans for their lives in the different places.

It really was no secret that she wanted out, she wanted to _be_ somebody. But even more than her vigor to be successful, was her desire to be with Finn. The past three years had been amazing, and happy, and full of more love than she even thought was possible. He had embodied every description of the perfect boyfriend, and managed to remain her best friend as well. He was loving, and loyal, and considerate, and clapping for her as he side waddled his way into the row of seats to sit beside her Daddy.

Her heart jumped into her throat, her smile taking over her face for the first time as she did a double take to look at him. He was dressed casually, and she had to stifle a giggle at the way her daddy was eying his clothing. He looked perfect to Rachel though. His hair was tousled perfectly, his brown eyes shining up at her with pride, and she giggled even more when he wrapped the arm closest to her Daddy, squeezing him. She loved the relationship between Finn and her fathers. It hadn't taken him long to win them over, especially when they realized how much he meant to Rachel, and how much he loved her in return. They made a point of driving to her home every other weekend to spend some quality time with her Dads.

Her daddy resisted at first, then squeezed Finn back, sobbing into his shoulder as he pointed up towards the stage. She was nowhere near close enough to hear, but she was pretty sure her daddy was saying something along the lines of 'that's my baby girl' into Finn's collarbone. At one point in his life, you would have never convinced Finn to be in the same room with her dads, let alone consoling one of them playfully. Her heart squeezed as she watched Finn patting his shoulder, rolling his eyes dramatically at her as if to say 'this is where you get it from'.

Rachel stuck her tongue out at him half heartedly, much too excited that he was actually here to be upset. Was it supposed to be this way, was she still supposed to be so affected by just his presence? Her feelings hadn't changed since the beginning of their relationship; the intense love, the deep understanding, the discovering new things about one another on a daily basis. One thing she was sure of was that she needed Finn, she was going nowhere without him.

* * *

"_Congratulations Rachel_!"

"_We're so proud of you_!"

"_You looked great up there_!"

Rachel smiled and nodded at the greetings she was met with from her family and friends as she made her way through the spacious backyard of Carol and Burt Hummel. They had been kind enough to hold Rachel's graduation party at their home, given they had such a lovely and accommodating yard. Kurt of course had been the one in charge, as was obvious by the tiki torches hanging everywhere, the styled lawn furniture, and the way he was walking around with his sash on bossing people around. Blaine stood on the sidelines, safely away from the group being scolded as he nibbled from his plate, shaking his head at his boyfriend with a small smile. The food seemed like a good idea to Rachel, her stomach giving a small rumble as she eyed it. Quickly she walked over to the food tables, grinning when she found Puck and Quinn facing off, as was usual for the couple.

"_Ow_! I was just saying, they should make it a rule or something for girls to wear a lengthy dress under your gown. It's not my fault I could see all of that chicks goodies when she walked across that stage" Puck said, rubbing his arm where Quinn had smacked him. That was one relationship that deeply amused Rachel, while warming her heart at the same time. They were total and complete opposites, but somehow they fit together, not without some work. He was still the Puck she knew and loved, but he had made a lot of changes as well, good changes. "I meant, not her _goodies_, like her...nastiness" he corrected with a scrunched up face and shuddered, making Quinn relent with a giggle.

"Nice save" she smirked, pouring a cup of punch for the both of them. Puck smiled over at her, wrapping his arm around her slender waist before pressing a smacking kiss to her temple.

"I feel the love" Rachel cooed placing a hand over her heart. She grabbed a cup from the stack and poured herself a liberal amount of the delicious smelling punch first.

"This is a lovely party Rachel, and you look beautiful" Quinn smiled, clinking cups with her. "Seriously, that dress is gorgeous. It's nice to know some people know how to dress appropriately beneath their gowns" she added with a grin as Puck groaned.

"Thank you" Rachel smiled, looking down at the modest length of the fitted grey and yellow dress Kurt had picked out for her. It was a little elegant for an outdoor graduation party, especially with the sky high heels, but Kurt had forced her into it and there was_ no_ fighting with him. "All credit, and more importantly judgment, goes to Kurt of course."

"I heard that" he piped in, walking up beside her. He immediately reached up to adjust the dress, dusting off random sections and pushing her breasts up the slightest bit higher. She might have freaked had she not been use to it by now, they might as well be siblings. "Thank goodness it's still clean. You haven't eaten yet have you" he asked in a slight panic over what the food would do to the precious dress. Rachel frowned and shook her head quickly as Puck and Quinn shared a small laugh at her expense. At the same time, Kurt took the small cup from her hands, instead placing it to his own lips. "Good, let's keep it that way."

"Ugh, Kurt-"

"Ah ah- don't fight me on this Rachel" he warned, taking another sip of the stolen punch before taking to adjusting the dress that she was pretty sure hadn't been ruined in the last ten seconds, again. "You can thank me later, you look like a model."

"While that's very flattering, if you don't stop coddling me-"

"Not so much you, more the dress."

"Either way, if you don't calm down I"m going to yank it off and toss it in the punch bowl myself" she fumed quietly as she threw the empty threat at her friend.

"I sure wouldn't be opposed to that" a soft, familiar voice spoke from behind her. Rachel spun immediately, coming face to face with her boyfriend which was weird; she was used to craning her neck to look up at him. He smiled warmly at her as he reached out to entwine his free hand with hers, squeezing lightly.

"I bet you would perv" she shot him a wicked smile as she gave his new, much nicer clothing an appreciative once over. "Where have you been?"

"Being one of Kurt's minions" he sighed sending a playful glare in the direction Kurt had flitted off towards her fathers, watching them closely, an open bottle of champagne between them. "You wouldn't believe how heavy some of your gifts are" he said exaggeratedly, nodding back towards the large gift table.

Rachel followed his gaze, smiling widely at the heavily stocked present table before meeting the excited eyes of his mother. Carol beamed before turning her head quickly, leaning into Burt. He offered a small, slightly awkward wave as well before turning back to flipping more burgers. Confused, Rachel shook her head of the strange behavior before turning back to Finn.

"Well it's a good thing I have such a big strong guy for all that heavy lifting" she teased, squeezing his flexed forearm.

"Eh, Your Papa and Burt did most of the work, I pretty much supervised."

"You're terrible" she scolded, lightly swatting at his shoulder.

"Hey, you think Kurt would let me risk messing up these precious clothes" he asked incredulously, playfully lifting an eyebrow. "Besides, I needed to save my strength for other things" he said, wriggling his eyebrows at her.

"Oh really, and what would those other things be" she flirted, taking a step closer to lessen the gap between them.

"My gift for you of course." She was surprised when he took a step back from her advance, squeezing her hand before releasing it as well.

"Well I can't say that I'm enjoying it so far" she pouted, jutting her lip out at the small distance. His bright smile lifted her spirits however, giving her a strange sense of deja vu.

"Well if you don't want it..."

"No, I do! Gimme" she squealed, intrigued by the whole spectacle, the strange way he was acting. In spite of his cool facade she could see the ever so slight flush to his cheeks, the extra twinkle in his brown eyes, and the fact that he was rubbing his palms against his pant-clad thighs. Rachel bounced slightly on her toes when he nodded. She released a squeal and did a tiny version of her excited dance, drawing an amused smile from Finn as she waited. Suddenly she could feel all of the stares from their family and friends on her. Even Puck and Quinn who she'd completely forgotten were standing so close by, completely silent.

"I umm, I'm actually re-gifting you something" he mumbled, wiping his palms yet again on his pant-clad thighs.

"Hmm, how very cheap of you" she said coyly, giving him a smirk.

"Yes and no actually" he grinned, his hands returning to his thighs once again. Instead of wiping nervously this time however, his hand brushed all the way back to his pocket, coming back out to reveal a small velvet box.

Rachel's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the tiny life changing box. The implications were heavy in the air as her eyes stayed glued to it. She finally pulled them away to meet Finn's shining eyes boring into her own.

"I had the right idea the first time, I thought it was about time to step my game up" he whispered, opening the box to reveal the ring inside.

It was the exact picture of the ring, their ring, but _much_ shinier than she remembered. Staring at its luster, and slightly larger shape, she realized that it was indeed an exact replica of their original 'wedding ring', a much more expensive version obviously.

"I had it made special. I thought it would mean more you know, it symbolizes so much" he shrugged as she ran a finger over the beautiful piece of jewelry. "I love you so much, more than anything in this world, I always have. You're everything I was too stubborn to realize I needed and more. Things have been kind of...complicated lately, thinking about our futures and our careers and all, I know" he continued, reaching out a hand to delicately cup her cheek. "But, I wanted to let you know that I'm here, I'm with you all the way. The idea of not spending the rest of my life with you, doesn't even seem real, it makes me kind of sick."

Rachel gasped as she absorbed his words, her eyes starting to glisten with moisture as she stared at him, dumbfounded. The heavy stares around her melted, they were the only ones in the yard for all she knew when he smiled at her, his heart on his sleeve.

"My interview today wasn't so much an interview as it was checking my credentials, and it went really well Rach. I can be a personal trainer, or a coach, or whatever I want anywhere...as long as I'm with you. You make me feel like I could do anything, like, I could take on the world, as long as I have you by my side. So if you really want to travel to the big cities and find where it is you feel is home, then that's exactly what we should do. Your dreams are so big, and awesome, and I know you're capable of reaching all of them. I just wanna be there to help lift you up, and watch you shine. That's my dream" he whispered, finally pulling the ring out of it's box and passing the empty box to the air, which was probably Puck or someone.

Rachel blinked repeatedly, thankful that Kurt had taken the cup from her hands because it certainly would have either fallen to the ground, or all over her dress by now. Hmm, that must have been what he meant when he took it from her, urging that she trust him. That sneaky little...

The breath lodged in her throat when he dropped to one knee before her, his face much too far down for her liking. Without even realizing she was doing it she quickly toed off the nosebleed heels to be closer to him. "Rachel Berry, will you marry me?"

She was sure she hadn't been breathing for about a minute straight as she looked down at him, the shining ring in his hands. Some part of her mind registered that the people around her were waiting for her response, but it was made even more relevant when she felt a sharp poke to her back. Shaking her head to gain her composure, she brought a hand up to wipe the tears at her eyes.

"Yes, yes _of course_ I'll marry you" she cried, the words barely escaping her lips before Finn rose and swept her up into his arms, twirling her around. She faintly heard Kurt in the background, crying for him not to ruin her dress, but she didn't care, and neither did her fiancee.

Her _fiancee._

Their friends and family cheered and murmured in the background as Finn finally released her, hurriedly slipping the ring onto her finger. As soon as it was in place, he brought her hand to his lips, placing a scorching, intimate kiss over it as if to seal the promise.

"You're mine" he whispered, keeping his fingers linked with hers as he gazed down at her, the love seeping into her bones.

"I'm yours" she agreed, squeezing his hand before stretching up to kiss him. "Hold on" she paused, never breaking their entwined hands as she bend down to put her shoes back on. Finn chuckled, bringing his hand back up to cup her cheek once she was finally at almost the same level as him. He pressed his lips to hers, gently, but passionately, stealing her already shallow breath right from her again. He was going to have a lot of medical bills to deal with if this was going to be their future.

"I love you" he whispered against her lips, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I love you."

"Stop hogging the girl, you're going to have her forever" Carol cried from over Finn's shoulder, pulling him back so that she could pull Rachel into her own embrace. Kurt stood to the side of them with tissues, trying to keep his stepmothers tears from seeping into the fabric of Rachel's dress. It was only about five seconds however before he caved himself, flinging his scrawny arms around the two women joining in. When he backed away, falling into Blaine's arms, her fathers swarmed her as well, caging her in a giant hug. Even Burt had made his way over, draping an arm around Carol, and placing a strong hand on Rachel's shoulder with a warm smile.

When she was finally released, she found herself at Finn's side, her hand automatically entwining with his again. She smiled when she felt him stroking her ring finger as the guests started to crowd around to congratulate them.

"I really do like the sound of that" he whispered down to her.

"Of what" she questioned, looking over at the beautiful face of the man she would soon be able to officially call hers.

"Forever" he smiled, holding up a finger to silence Puck's sure to be crude comment, before pressing his lips to hers again.

_**Thank you guys so much for being patient with me, and for all of your support on this little fanfic of mine. I really can't thank you enough or put into words how much it has meant to me that you've enjoyed taking this ride with me. **_

_**As far as my next story goes, I can't tell you when that will be. I need to take at least a little break from writing for a while, and get myself caught up in real life, but I will be back, that's for sure! In the meantime, if you haven't already, please feel free to check out all of my other stories as well! Thank you all again, so much! :) **_


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